


the lovers, the dreamers, and me

by copper_nv



Category: Pokemon Desolation, Pokemon Fan Games
Genre: Gen, OH I REMEMBERED IT, POV Second Person, Rated teen for swearing, Self-Insert, i feel like these characters have last names i just cant be assed to find them ngl, i had a good title name but then i FORGOT are you kidding me, idk what else to tag lol, kinda??, no beta we die like men, summary is misleading sorry, yes i know the work title is stupid idk what else to call it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:08:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26059246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copper_nv/pseuds/copper_nv
Summary: ♫ all of us under its spell, we know that it's probably magic ♫
Comments: 23
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi! thank you for taking the time of you day to read this! to clarify things, everything's in 2nd pov. i tried keeping "you" as ambiguous as possible but to be honest it's really just me projecting but is it really fanfiction if you don't project a little? 
> 
> by the way i slapped in my own headcanons in there to flesh out the characters just a lil more, ignore that ahaha

Man, what a day.

Nothing like attempting to defuse a bomb threat (gone horribly, horribly wrong), nearly avoiding death, washing up on a beach, and getting verbal abuse thrown at you on the cherry on top of the fuck-you sundae, am I right?

You roll over onto your side and check your phone for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that night.

No cell service. 

It’s not like you were expecting anything different.

You’re supposed to be at Cellia City with your friends, Ava and Scarlett, but God really hates you right now. Enough to leave you with this dude (you totally forgot his name, honestly) who hates your goddamn guts even though you’ve literally done nothing wrong except exist. It’s not _your_ fault that you're some pokemon-less trainer who’s fresh from highschool and could barely make ramen noodles in the microwave, let alone survive in the wild.

Maybe this was karma for all the bad shit that you’ve done throughout your life. When you accidentally ran over Scarlett with your bike, reversed it, hitting her again, and then running over her for a third time, maybe she secretly didn’t forgive you and cursed you to a terrible fate? You thought that crying for four hours straight would be enough for her to forgive you, but guess not!

Speaking of crying for four hours straight, you feel tears beginning to prick at your eyes. You’ve never been good in situations like these because well, the average person doesn’t get stranded on an island in their lifetime. Your childhood may have been a little rough around the edges, but you were always _safe_. There was no looming threat over your head, no worries about what you were going to eat for tonight. 

You’ve never had to worry about your safety, because you could always rely on someone to help you, whether it’s your family, friends, or, well, law enforcement. Maybe God likes you a little bit, because the dude next to you at least had some pokemon, and fire-types at that. 

He’s still a dick though.

Maybe you need some sleep, you think to yourself. Scarlett’s (probably) not some evil witch with a vendetta against you, and she and Ava are safe and okay. And maybe this flame-haired dude really isn’t so terrible, he’s just had a bad day. You know, with the whole, my-ship-got-blown-up-by-a-terrorist thing. 

Yeah, you just need some rest.

You blink the tears away, letting the crackle of the flame and the soft hum of nature lull you into a dreamless sleep, uncertain of the future to come.

—

“Hey… I… uh… I didn’t think it would be so dark… uh…” Connor (yes, you remembered his name!) stuttered nervously, “it’s not like I’m afraid of the dark, or anything like that… but… uh… maybe while we’re down here, we could work together, yeah?”

He crosses his arms, tapping his foot anxiously. “Come on, let’s team up.”

As much as it’s tempting to just ditch him and leave him in the darkness of the underground village, you’re not an asshole, so you go with him. It’s also tempting to make fun of his obvious fear of the dark, but you cried yourself to sleep last night because you were scared, so you can’t really say anything. 

You just nod.

“Yeah,” he huffs, “don’t slow me down.”

His shoulders visibly untense. You just politely smile, clasp your hands, and lead the way.

Between talking to the villagers or battling other trainers, it’s dead silent between you two. You’re not really one for small talk, and Connor is—

Connor.

You try not to judge, you really do, but the man has a huge stick up his ass. You couldn’t fathom being a dick to people you don’t know because your parents raised you with _manners_ and _the ability to shut up_ , something he evidently lacks. Chivalry is truly dead, these days.

“I feel like we know everything, now,” he pauses. “Well. At least, I do. I wish I did this by myself, to be honest. After all, I did carry us through the battles.”

Okay.

Rude much? Look, you may have passed school with painfully average grades, and you may be a depressed gifted kid that fell from grace, but you’re smart enough to figure out that this Kuiki dude is basically running a cult. You _do_ have some critical thinking skills. Thanks for the self esteem boost, _Connor_. 

Maybe you should have left him to die down here. You’re a little ticked off, in all honesty. But you just sucked it up and pulled the lever, a small wooden gate slowly creaking open.

—

“Bravo, indeed…” the stranger— yeah, you forgot his name— breathed. “That was fascinating… it seems I was right about you. I suppose, then, that I have to give you the key, don’t I? This key unlocks the gate beside this hut, inside you will find the switch that opens the path to Kuiki’s home. But to get onto that path, you’ll have to find another entry to the village. I’d start by heading back to the surface… oh, of course, the spice powder!”

You fiddle with the key as the man, God, you really need to get better at names, digs around for the spice powder. Connor watches you with exasperation as you almost drop it and fumble with it. You can’t even see him without turning to your left, but you just _know_. 

Hey, at least he didn’t say anything! Actually, you’re pretty surprised that he’s managed to clamp his mouth shut for this long, but he just might be a tiny bit pissed off at his prowess not being acknowledged by the cool and mysterious stranger who most definitely is a lot stronger than he appears and not at all a shady drug dealer. 

“Just shake it on the Vileplume and _voila_ ,” he hums, dropping a small bag into your hands, “the path is clear. This has all been very interesting, to be sure. I’m sure we’ll meet again. Adios!”

You blink, and he vanishes completely. You and Connor exchange similar looks of shock.

“He just… vanished?!” He stammers, absolutely flabbergasted. You can’t say that you’re any different. “What the heck?! Man, I’m out. I’m going to pretend I didn’t see any of that, alright? I’ve seen way too much crazy nonsense today. He said to find another way in, so I guess we should head back to the surface.

I’m just going to catch my breath for a sec. Go open that gate, alright?” He turns away from you, mumbling under his breath, “I wonder what was in his diary?”

You like to shove your nose in business that you really should not be in, so you decide to take a gander at the book, with Connor most _definitely_ not looking over your shoulder in curiosity, nope! It was blank anyways. Serves you two right, you suppose. 

—

“What the…” a commanding voice booms throughout the arena. Kuiki, you suppose, but your eyes aren’t focused on him. Instead you focus on the two girls trapped behind bars.

Ava and Scarlett.

God, you could cry, and normally you would, but that’s a really bad look for when you’re in the midst of confronting a corrupted leader of a village and/or cult. “Who are you two, and how did you get in?!”

Your friends turn to meet your (tearfilled) gaze, and you can see relief wash over their features. 

“Hey! What are you doing here? It’s dangerous, especially for someone that doesn’t have pokemon!” Ava shouts, hands clinging onto the metal bars, a beaming grin apparent on her face. Not to sound sapphic or anything like that, but man oh man, have you missed that smile. It feels you with a burst of confidence, and also fear because _holy shit they were literal seconds before death_.

You were very close to walking into a bloodfest. That’s a humbling thought.

“Well, they don’t have the slightest decency as a trainer, but they’ve got pokemon.” Thank you Connor, very cool. “Kuiki, you old prune, it’s over.”

“Over? What could you possibly mean?” If your friends’ (and probably your’s and Connor’s) lives weren’t in danger, you’d probably has a mental breakdown from the sheer stress of whatever the hell is happening. Confrontation is one of your strong points, evidently.

“Oh, come _on_! Do we really have to do this?” Connor groans, clenching the metal railing so hard his knuckles were turning white. “This charade of your’s is really cramping my style, you know. I know what you’ve done, what you’re doing. And I think the people know too, otherwise someone would intervene.”

“Chief…?” a villager called out, soft murmurs instantly erupting from the crowd. “Kuiki, what’s he talking about?”

“What utter nonsense, truly,” he clicked his tongue irritably, glaring down the gym leader. “You come in here, in the middle of a trial, to tell me I’m, what, a fraud?

“ _Seriously_ , drop the act, already,” Connor scoffs.”One of your people told us that one of your pokemon was yellow and brown. And another told us that you had a love for psychic-type pokemon. Some even believe that you’ve been hypnotizing the whole village.

There’s only one pokemon that fits that description.” You think this is overly dramatic. Like, straight out of a movie, really. There’s an evil, delusioned man trying to kill the girl and everything.

“How did you—”

“Why don’t you show the people your Drowzee, Kuiki? The one you’ve been using to hypnotise them, to spread propaganda about yourself just so you could look like a hero,” Connor confidently grins, crossing his arms. “Why don’t you tell them how you’ve been lying for years, when the reality is that you’re just a selfish old man.”

“You little brat…” Kuiki growls, and you’re beginning to think you’ve bit off more than you can chew. “You don’t know the half of it.”

“Connor’s right,” Ava calls out loudly, “Kuiki’s been lying to you this whole time! You all know we’re here for no reason, that he’s trying to put us on trial for absolutely nothing!”

“Could it be true?”

“It can’t be… Kuiki…”

“SILENCE!” The leader bangs his fist against the rusted metal railing. “You really think I’d lie and decieve you people, after all I’ve done for you? I saved you from a meaningless existence, provided you a safe haven… I am the next messiah! Without me, you would have all long perished!”

A pause.

“Chief is always right… isn’t he?”

“He has always been there for us.”

“Oh, _come on_ , I tried being all formal, but damn it!” Connor scowls, his fists shaking. “You people are here BECAUSE of Kuiki! Those Vileplume that were blocking the road… they belong to him! Kuiki, _you_ put the Vileplume in everyone’s way, so that people would be forced to walk into your _‘haven’_. And _right_ into your little game.”

“It’s true! We were blocked off, too! This was the only way we could go!” Ava chimed in, and Scarlett made a noise of affirmation.

“Lies, all of it, lies! Would you people _really_ believe such nonsense?!” Kuiki hissed.

“We have Noel’s journal to prove it, too!” Connor yelled.

God, you should get paid for this.

“Could it be…?”

“Everything was a lie?”

“Oh, dear…” Shin? Shia? says from his seat in the audience. “This isn’t looking so good, is it, Kuiki? The truth is coming out…”

“He’s here?!” You and Connor glance at each other, before turning back to the scene at hand.

“You promised me, Shiv!” Kuiki growls, clearly at this wit’s end. “You promised me you wouldn’t do this!”

“I had my fun while it lasted, Kuiki,” the stranger amicably says, waving his hand in dismissal. “However, this duo really got the better of you.”

“Kuiki is a liar!”

“A fraud!”

“He did this to us!”

“You won’t control us anymore!”

“Oh, dear me... this isn’t looking good at all,” he hums, crossing his legs and leaning forward.

—

You think you need a break. Or a nap, at the very least. And you do, after all the stupid shit you’ve put up with today! Ava seems to think otherwise, though. You’re kind of getting peer pressured into beating the crap out of Connor, actually. 

You’ve never really put much thought about taking the gym challenge, at least in Ayrith. There’s twelve badges you need to collect compared to the usual eight and that just seems like so much work.You know that there are places that require you to get sixteen, but still!

Also you’re scared that you’ll lose and you just end up quitting because you’re too embarrassed to come back after getting your ass beat. It’s a very likely scenario, in all honesty, because you have so much self loathing stored inside your body.

“I’ll bite,” Ava grins, slinging an arm over your shoulder, “I just wanted to see Connor’s face after he gets crushed by you.”

“Ava!” Scarlett scolds, but couldn’t hide the growing smile. “Play nice. He helped save us from that arena, you know? I’m not saying you have to like him, but you can at least show some gratitude!”

So you _very_ reluctantly agreed, because you’re simultaneously both a good and terrible friend.

“I’ll assume that you’re ready for a battle?” You meekly nod. You’re not ready, actually, but Ava is staring you down with a look and Connor would probably yell at you for wasting his time if you said “no”, so, yeah, you’re ready! “Good. It’s time to show these folk what a real gym leader is made of. Head over to the other side and let’s get this show on the road!”

You get into position, clutching the pokeball that contained your starter tightly, everyone in the tiny village gathered around you two. You’d be lying if you said that you were a little stressed, because you’re _very_ stressed, thank you.

“Alright, alright, alright!” Ava claps her hands, garnering the attention of everybody. “Let’s get started then!”

You can’t focus on what she’s saying, because you’re too busy trying to gather your nerves and not look like a fool in front of everyone. You wipe your sweaty hands on your shirt (gross) because you’d rather die then fuck up sending out your first pokemon, you think. You anxiously glance towards your friends, and Scarlett mouths “good luck”. 

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Connor cockily grins at you, “I’ve babied you this whole time, kept you up so you didn’t fall down. Why? Because you’re a starter. And I’m a gym leader. And I’ll show you the difference between the two! Let’s heat things up, then!”

Throughout your childhood, you’ve never had much experience battling outside from what Ava taught you. Ava’s always been the reckless, daring one, venturing out into the woods just to meet wild pokemon. Watching her constantly get beat down, you always wondered what she saw in battling that you didn’t. 

Scarlett has always dreamed of a day where she gets to go on her own very journey across the region, to meet new pokemon and new people. She’s always had an insatiable wanderlust, a thrill for adventuring and discovering new things. She’d always come to your playdates and hangouts with her hands and knees covered in dirt. 

And you’re just… you.

You’ve never had any particular dreams or aspirations. You’ve kind of just wandered throughout your school years without much of a goal, and you’re only really here when they offered to take you along with them, really. You’ve never thought you’d have a trainer card, you’ve never thought you’d be standing here, battling a gym leader.

“Oh, _come on_! This is a fluke!”

And you’ve never thought you’d _win_. 

Your heart’s pounding up a storm, and you’re sweating from both anxiety and the heat from Connor’s fire-types. You almost get knocked onto your ass when Scarlett leaps from the sidelines to hug you, but Ava shoves you back onto your feet and joins in the hug. You laugh loudly, and something warm stirs in your heart. You may or may nor have shed a tear or two, but that’s okay.

As Connor shoves the badge and a TM in your heads while grumbling to himself, you think you can understand your friends a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: hmm im too lazy to create a mc i think i will just make everything ambiguous  
> ava: this is a battle between [player] and connor  
> me:
> 
> i dont have the strength to make a whole ass retelling so im just. sticking with this style
> 
> i totally wrote this while procrastinating on my fic that i promised to update weekly (its been two weeks) and my homework
> 
> god kuiki and connor like to talk a lot huh


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so apparently once you leave the underground village after you beat kuiki theres a little pep talk w ava and scarlett and connor about you kicking his ass BUT I DIDNT KNOW BECAUSE I USE PLAYTHOUGHS TO GET THE DIALOGUE. AND I JUST SKIP TO THE PARTS I WANT. god
> 
> edit: I FORGOT BUT EMETOPHOBIA WARNING

“This sucks, man. At this rate, we’ll never make it back to…” The brunette boy turns around to face you. “Huh? You snooping on my business, dude?”

You just wanted to get the Zorua out of the way, but this kind of peaked your interest. Make it back to where, you wonder…

“Hey, you don’t look too familiar… You’re not from around here, are ya?” You shrug. Brilliant response. Astonishing maneuver. He grins, and you presume he takes it as a “yes”. “Ah, right! Neither am I!”

“The name’s Hardy, I’m from Celeste City.” 

Using what’s left of your final braincell, you manage to conjure up a reply about something of the boat that blew up. You don’t even know him and you’re just handing out all of your trauma like that, huh.

“Yeah, I heard about that stuff with the boat… it’s real sad,” Hardy scratched the back of his head, “this part of Ayrith is typically pretty peaceful, so it’s a shame that these criminals are out causing problems. You know what, thought? It ain’t all bad. To me, this is just another training opportunity for my pokemon and I.”

That kind of sounded like… really insensitive, but you decide not to comment. 

“In fact, I’ll let you in on a secret,” he leans in closer to you, dropping his voice to a stage whisper. “I’m going to be the best trainer around, someday. And that ‘someday’ is soon, because I’m taking on the entire Ayrith League! And I ain’t letting anyone get in my way!”

You’re not usually one to spill your secrets, but perhaps this declaration ignited a competitive spark in you? Who knows. 

“Huh? You’re taking on the league too? Dude, you don’t look tough enough to do something like that…” Okay, you may be wearing some ratty clothes a kind samaritan gave you and you possibly have puffy red eyes from crying, and you had to call your mom in to take out the spiders that got into your bedroom, but that’s just mean. 

“Actually, here’s an idea. How about you battle me? If you can’t beat me, then there’s no way a wimp like you could take on the League. So? Whaddaya say?”

The monkey part of your brain tells you to tell him “fuck no”, cuss him out for calling you a wimp and chuck the Zorua cockblocking you at him, but you that would definitely would just be something added to the evergrowing list of embarassing things that keep you up at night, so you nod instead. 

“Really? I thought you’d freak out and leave!” Er… not quite, buddy. “Okay, good! This is a chance for me to show you what kind of trainers Ayrith really has! Zorua, come back!”

_Oh_ , so it _was_ his. 

“Let me show you what a real trainer can do.”

——

When Ava told you, “it’s so hot in here I want to die,” when you went to go heal your pokemon, you don’t think this is what she meant.

You really haven’t processed it yet, as you dumbly stumble through the rest of the mountain. Your heart is pounding through your ears. Is it even your heart? Because it feels like someone twisted it. You don’t think you’re breathing really. Maybe it’s because it’s way too hot in here or it’s—

It’s—

You want to vomit.

In fact, you do. It didn’t help settle the uncomfortable churning of your gut. You think it just made it worse, actually.

“Wait, trainer,” a voice seems to echo throughout the room. Soon, a lady donning red and black rushes up to you. “I saw your incident with Crescent. It seems that you’ve managed to get a glimpse into their methods.”

No shit, lady, you bitterly think.

“To be honest, they’ve been a thorn in my side for a while. But never to this extent,” she shakes her head, long hair flowing side to side, “They don’t usually show that level of violence. I suspect that if I didn’t intervene, your friend would be gone.”

What.

“Luckily for her, I have my Xatu,” she explains, “And my Xatu… has its methods. Xatu, bring her back.”

“Huh? What?” Ava stammers, appearing out of thin air. Those are the exact two words in your mind, how did you know? “Ahh! How… I was… what?! What happened?!” 

(Later, you’d think of different ways on how to react when you’re in the shower. Like, running up to her and punching her in the gut to avenge your breakfast, or saying some shitty one liner. For now, you’ll just have to settle with gaping at her with the elegance of a lima bean.)

“Hush. You’re safe now. My Xatu used its psychic powers to teleport you to safety. You should consider yourself quite lucky.”

“No… no way. I thought I was screwed.” Please don’t say that Ava, holy shit. “Looks like I owe you one… what’s your name again?”

“Aderyn. The name’s Aderyn.” Aderyn. What a nice name for the lady that you’d take a bullet for. 

“Oh! Aderyn! As in the gym leader, really?! Fangirling… again… ughhhhhh…” Ava exclaims, as if she literally didn’t die like three minutes ago. You’re quite surprised honestly, if your gaping didn’t give it away. She’s the one that died and she’s taking it _much_ better than you are. But you did have to see someone die in front of you in possibly one of the worst ways to die ever, so. 

“Indeed, I’m a gym leader. But let’s be honest here, it’s all just a title. I’m more concerned about the events that just transpired…” Oh, so you _weren’t_ just going crazy and imagining it, because you expected Ava to freak out a lot more. “If you didn’t die, trainer, then how did the prophecy complete?”

“Because I’m dead inside,” is what you’d say if your brain wasn’t desperately racing to keep up with the situation.

“Ugh. That whole thing was a load of crap. I’m sure he was just using it as an excuse to get rid of someone better than him. Whatever that grunt was doing… that’s what got them the Wing,” Ava sighs, pensive. “We’re gym leaders, so we don’t have time to believe in children’s bedtime stories.”

“Perhaps you’re right. But I cannot simply ignore Crescent’s growing power in the lands I’m supposed to protect. For one, this was meant to be a major road,” Aderyn narrows her eyes, “now look at it. The bridge collapsed, rendering ground trade useless. As such, I’ll continue to pursue their efforts alone.”

You might be under twenty one, but you feel like you need a drink.

——

God, you don’t get paid enough to deal with this bullshit. In fact, you don’t get paid at all. 

You have a choice to make.

Shiv, a mysterious man with supernatural powers, or Nova, a lady determined to save the world.

Okay, so, on one hand, you hardly know _anything_ about Shiv, other than he was a super good battler and had a younger brother that he regretted losing. Also that brother was the leader of that village that tried to kill you and you and your friends that one time, but this isn’t about him. According to Nova, he’s a monster and should absolutely not be trusted, for reasons you’re not really sure why, because this is some shitty movie or something and whenever someone tries to explain something important to you, they get cut off.

And on the other, there’s Nova, who certainly seems nice enough, but the organization she works for did try to kill your friend, and would have gotten away with it if it were not for the meddling for a gym leader (which you are very, very grateful for) and you’d probably have to like, go on some epic long quest to avenge Ava because God knows her ghost is probably lingering around to exact revenge on the man who killed her. They allegedly aim for peace and happiness, but that’s the same thing those unsolicited preachers say when they come to your door.

So you give it to Shiv. You can’t say that you trust him, not by a long shot, but you do certainly trust him a lot more than Nova, and by association, Crescent.

“Good choice,” Shiv applauds you. You try to give the most sorry, kicked puppy look you can to Nova, because you actually had to choose between two shady people that you absolutely cannot trust. “It’s nice to see that I can rely on you. And it’s good to know that you’ve got a clear head.”

Wow, you trust that. Yeah. 100%. Totes.

“Nova, this is for the best. My sincerest apologies,” he said, not looking sorry at all. “Farewell.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” You blink, and Nova manages to get beside Shiv and rip it out of his hands. 

“No, how?!” 

“I know you don’t believe in our cause yet!” You don’t even know where to begin, actually. “But in time… you will! The perfect world… you can reign with us at the top, if you only let yourself!”

That sounds like a line from a dystopian novel you’ve read once.

She teleports away.

“She stole it, that foolish wench. I’ll remember that you aided me today. For now, I have to stop her.” Aaaand he’s gone too. So you’re just left… standing there, not really sure what just happened in the past two minutes or so.

——

You’ve never been a fan of heights. You’d say that it’s a pretty common fear, because most people aren’t fond of plunging to their deaths. So naturally you’re in the clouds. Well, to be fair it’s in a gym where it’s _simulated_ that you’re up in the clouds, and you’re gonna have to do this all over again later when Aderyn’s friend comes over to pick you up on her plane. 

Most of the trainers seem to pick up on your fear, because they give you kind glances and sympathetic smiles. You can appreciate the thought but ultimately it doesn’t not help you. It also does not help that you have to jump back down in order to leave the area. 

All in all, you are not having a good time right now. 

On the bright side, you manage to clear the gym and solve the puzzle after a good amount of running around, and honestly you feel super silly and dumb because it wasn’t that hard, now that you think about it. You’re mostly embarrassed though because Aderyn got front row seats to your tomfoolery, and Aderyn is really cool and you feel as if you need to live up to her expectations. Which is, to win.

You’re not that confident, despite everything that happened. Yeah, maybe you won against Kuiki, Connor, Nova, and all those other nameless trainers, and you’re pretty sure those weren’t stupi flukes, but you’ve been warned that she was really strong, so. Maybe you’re just overthinking this.

“I’ll assume you’re ready for a battle?”

You anxiously nod in response to Aderyn, and your hands feel clammy and your throat begins to tighten. The feel of wind blowing into your sweaty face makes you shiver.

(Later, you think it’s funny yet kind of depressing how you processed your emotions better here than when Ava “died”.)

“I’ll admit, I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. It’s always interesting to fight such unique trainers. I see a real fire burning in you, something different, something intense,” she pauses for dramatic effect. “However… this is my gym, my field! We’re in the sky! This is my terrain! This is where we can fly with the elegant breeze surrounding us! Let me demonstrate that elegance to you!”

You don’t know what the hell she means by “a real fire burning in you” because you’re visibly nervous and sweaty. You’re just some unfortunate kid that got their ship blown up and things just escalated from there.

Much to your surprise, when her Swanna goes down, she stands up straight and says at you. You kind of stand there like a dumbass, dazed, and Aderyn has to shove her TM in your bag and pin the badge to your clothes. You feel delirious, like you’re dreaming, but you stumble back to your friends, with a confused smile and a new shiny badge on your shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hardy: this part of ayrith is typically pretty peaceful, so it’s a shame that these criminals are out causing problems  
> me: 👁👄👁
> 
> speaking of hardy his way of speech is rlly endearing
> 
> i put some foreshadowing in this chapter, i wonder if you can find it? :]


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tristan best boy

“Standing on clouds, who would’ve guessed,” Ava lackadaisically hums, while Scarlett lends her arm for you to cling onto like a martyr. 

“Well, she said they’re not actually clouds…” Scarlett attempts to reason, patting your shoulder gently.

“Whatever. We’re late!” The three of you make a break for it, but Ava, in front, puts her arm out as a loud noise crashes through the sky. 

“What the hell was that…” the greenette mutters. “We’d better go fast. If I spend another minute up here, I’ll puke.”

Unfortunately, it seems as if you’ll be spending more than a minute, though, when you come across Team Crescent. 

“Uhh… boss?” You hear Ava cuss profanities under her breath. She’s still bitter after the laba incident, as one would. Scarlett gives you two a quick side glance before the members turn around to face you.

“Well, well,” the man grunts. “Look who decided to show their faces. More importantly, you, girl…”

“I saw you die,” he cocks his head up, scowling. “How-”

“I guess I’m not so easy to get rid of, huh? Some dumb prophecy isn’t going to stop me,” Ava says coolly. 

“Hmph. Then I suppose you’re just in time.” He crosses his arms, eyebrows furrowing.

“Baron, please stand down,” a familiar head of red locks says, her back still turned to your group.

“What? Stand down?” He scoffs. “They’re the enemy! They attempted to stop me from getting the Fiery Wing at Vejyr!”

“With the show you put on, I’m not surprised! You tried to, you know, kill one of their friends? Of course they want to stop you!”

“But they don’t-”

“Please, Baron. Shut up.” Nova irritably rubs her temples, a small sigh leaving her lips.

“Tch…”

“It’s good to see you again.” Her demeanor changes quickly from stressed to welcoming. 

Ava spins to look at you. “Who the hell is she?”

“How rude. My name is Nova. I’m the head of Team Crescent.” She dips her head in greeting.

“Hmph.”

“Hey, why do you know her?!” Ava flails her arms about, as if to get her point across. “She’s the enemy!”

“The enemy? Your  _ enemy  _ is trying to save humanity. Listen. There’s no time for us to play meet and greet here.” Her voice drops an octave. “I’ve got a job to do. Baron, the feather, if you will.”

“...Fine, damn it.”

“The Onyx Stone allows us to morph Darkrai into Darkrai Perfection. However, how are we even supposed to find Darkrai?” Nova holds the feather in front of her face, reflecting the sun. “That’s the question Shiv answered for me. Like how we found the Onyx Stone in the memory world, we can find Darkrai in its counterpart… the Dream World.”

Ava looks to you, extremely lost as she has no clue what the hell an Onyx Stone is. She’s also terribly, terribly mad, given the way she clutches her pokeball so hard you’re afraid it’ll shatter under her grip.

“However, physically entering the Dream World is nigh on impossible… unless…”

“Unless you have a legendary pokemon to take you there,” Baron chimes in, answering Nova’s hypothetical question. 

“As we understand it, certain pokemon that have also achieved ‘Perfection’ are able to enter the dream world. Using the Fiery Wing, perhaps even this Moltres can achieve such purity.” The three of you become alarmed at this statement. Was she really going to…?

“Oh, come on! That Moltres isn’t even real! Even if there were a Moltres under Vejyr, it wouldn’t be different to any other!” Scarlett exclaims, holding onto your hand tightly. 

“Indeed, yet… aren’t all myths based off some form of truth?” Nova hums.

“No,” Ava butt in, “we’ll stop you this time.”

“Indeed, we will,” a voice says. You take a step back as Shiv appears in front of you. 

“Look who decided to show his face…” she condescendingly says. “Still sore that I snatched the stone, Shiv?”

“Shiv…? You’re here to help?” Ava breathes.

“For now. Your friend there gave me the stone before she natched the back. They’ve more than proved their own worth.” Shiv turns his head to look behind him to glance at you.

“Good. We can take Nova on together, then.”

“Come on. Why side with him? The second the stone is back in his hands, he’ll turn on you!” You can  _ really _ feel your patience being tested. With all of this stupid evil monologing, home’s barely at a fingertip’s reach. You don’t even know why Shiv is so bad! “You know my world is the world we need…”

“No. They made the right call. A real world is always better than a fake one. You made the right choice.” Ava manages to crack a proud smile, despite the situation at hand. 

“Whatever, enough chit-chat. Let’s get started.” Nova turns around to face the endless blue sky. “Come on out, Moltres!”

…

…..

A cry echoes from the distance.

“You guys… heard that, right?” Scarlett asks.

“Yes… finally… it’s seeking out the Fiery Wing…”

“No. Not this time, Nova!”

The cloud rumbles beneath your feet. You hear the Crescent grunts shriek in surprise, and you can feel your hand slipping from Scarlett’s. 

“Everyone okay?!” She asked frantically, looking around to observe the situation. 

“My men! Where are my men!” Baron barked out, and you can feel your gut churn at that. You knew the answer to that, unfortunately.

“What does it matter… look at Moltres… it’s wonderful… everything I ever dreamed of as a little girl,” Nova murmurs, entranced at the very beast before her.

“Nova, don’t do this,” Shiv warned. 

“You can’t do anything, Shiv. It’s over.” Moltres lowers its head, and she climbs atop of it. “My dream… my piece… it’s all falling together.”

She calls your name. “I know you’ll change your mind! It’s for the best!”

“Not on my watch!” Shiv, the madlad, clings onto the Moltres. You can only stare in disbelief as Moltres struggles to shake him off. 

“You… no! Get off!”

“Not this time, Nova! I won’t let you do this!”

And they’re gone.

“He won’t get anywhere… that fanatic is wasting his time,” Baron grunts, “Nova is going to bring a new age to mankind. A peaceful world… with no more bitter conflict. Yet… even a world like that requires a shepherd. Someone at the top, to control the masses. A figure that’s responsible enough to yield such power… someone like me.”

You reiterate your point that you’ve heard this from a dystopian novel you’ve read before.

“She seems to see something in you… but I do not. You gave the stone to Shiv, so how could we ever possibly trust you?! Not under my watch.”

“They made the right call today! Any real world is better than a fake one! We can take you, together as a team. Three on one? Easy,” Ava snarls, finger moving to the white button in the middle to release her pokemon.

“Three on one?” He barks out a laugh. “Oh, how misguided you are. Crescent is in the right here, girl. We understand what is best for this world— what needs to be done. Many others follow this sentiment. Do you really think everyone would stand by so idly to watch the world perish? People understand the need for a better world. Once guided, once properly understanding… anyone would join our cause. 

In fact, one of them stands amongst you.”

You feel dread pool into your gut. You lift your head to look at Scarlett, who refuses to meet your’s. 

“No way, that’s a lot of bull-”

“Scarlett. You can drop your act now. You’ve done enough.”

—

You thought that you’d feel more strongly after being betrayed by one of your friends, well, ex-friend, you suppose. But it feels… numb, but also overwhelming, somehow. You can’t really explain it too well, because your emotions are a mess and you’re just a mess in general. You  _ know  _ that you’re upset, because who wouldn’t be, but it just feels hollow and cold and you doubt it’s because of the environment. 

Tristan seems to be able to sense your bad mood as you two trudge in the snow looking for crystals, because he walks a few paces behind you, cautiously hovering over you. He’s however, a much better companion than Connor though, but that’s a pretty low bar to clear. 

Your meeting was a peculiar one, to say the least. You managed to deus ex machina your ass, somehow, after being shoved off the side of a cloud by a Hydreigon.

Wow. What a sentence.

He was flying through the clouds before a bad storm hit, and saw you and Ava fall from the sky like Icarus or something. He stopped to check on you, you woke up, had a good cry in his arms. You know, the usual. You’d normally be a lot less shameful, but it’s just been a long day. You have time to be mortified later. You’re just really tired and want to get off this godforsaken mountain. 

You think Tristan’s an angel, truly. He’s so nice to you and your moping ass. He battles any trainers alongside you and heals your pokemon back to full. I mean, Connor did that too, but you’re pretty sure if you tried crying in his arms he’d shove you off. You think you’d probably be dead without him. He’s even nice enough to give you pointers when you get stuck on the ice. He might just be nice to you out of courtesy, but after everything you’ve been through? He’s a saint. 

You might even have a little bit of a crush. (You’re kidding. Mostly.)

You even manage to make it out, and to a small camp the rangers set up. You’ve never been more relieved in your life, and you’re sure your poor pokemon is happy for the break. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Tristan had to leave you. 

“Well, we certainly had some fun out there, huh?” He smiles. “I’d love to hang out longer, but the storm’s died down, which means I can actually get moving again. Don’t worry though! I’ll keep on the lookout for your friend!”

You’re so tempted to leave though. The teleporter is right there, and you can just go back to Celeste City if you pleased. You don’t want to climb down the rest of the mountain. It’s so fucking cold and you’re so sad. But… Ava’s still out there, and she had to be somewhere nearby, right? You can’t just leave her like that. 

You solemnly sigh, and try not to cry as you hand over the rest of your money to the salesperson to buy more super repels.

——

“...Is that you?” 

Where the fuck are you.

You space out for  _ one  _ minute, finally relieved to get out of this godforsaken mountain, and now you’re in a pitch black room. 

“Oh, at last!” Shiv greets you with a serious expression. You assume it doesn’t mean anything good. “It took me far too long to find a way to communicate with you. I’ll make this quick, before she finds me. I have the stone. I need to get out of here in order to destroy it, but I need more time. You need to keep going! Get to Cellia, find—”

“Shiv!” A distant voice, you assume it’s Nova, cuts through the air. “You can’t run forever!”

“Damn it! You  _ need  _ to keep going! Get to Cellia, find—”

“Shiv, there you are!” The man hisses and runs off in the other direction, Nova hot behind his heels.

“Oh, it’s you,” she says disdainfully, “how disappointing.”

You know that you’re kind of a loser, but ow.

“I don’t know why you gave him the stone. I saw a heap of potential in you, but now I don’t know for sure. Only time will tell if you can sit atop this world with me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a thief to catch.”

The world brightens, and you’re back where you were. A chill hits you. You’re almost there, you need to keep going. 

To Ava. To Cellia. To the unknown. 

——

“Well, I’ll be damned,” a familiar voice says, “long time no see. I hope you remembered me.”

Is it bad to say that you don’t?

“It’s been a wee while since we met up on Route 1, huh? I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find my way to Cellia, but things have got a little… complicated.”

Oh. This dude. With the Zorua. Yeah, you remember him. Mainly the fact that you wanted to punch him or something like that, but you’re sure you were just being irrational.

“I’m just… in quite the mess, right now. It’s not a biggie, though. Because guess what? I’ve already got  _ three  _ gym badges!” He taps his chin in thought. “Although, the last one was kind of weird. There was no normal-type gym leader, like what I was expecting. Instead, I just got handed a badge. But hey! That doesn’t matter. I suppose you’re heading for Blackview?”

You don’t even know where Blackview is, in all honesty. You barely looked at a map when you got here. 

“It’s still a long way from here. But hey, I’ve got just the idea! You see, I’ve been looking forward to our rematch. In fact, I’ve been training for it. So how about it? You ready for round two? I know I am! Time to show you what a crushing defeat feels like!”

You almost feel bad when you beat him. He was so confident too… but you did say “almost” so you don’t feel bad. Not a tinge.

“That was great! I’m really not surprised. I saw it the first time I battled you. It’s some air that you radiate. You’re special. You have a real shot at the Pokemon League, you know that, right?” 

Huh, didn’t this dude say that you looked too weak or something to take on the League? Oh well. That’s not important. You have absolutely no clue what he means but “special”, though. You partially think that he’s tripping.

“Anyway, I saw something that might interest you. That green-haired girl… she’s your friend, right?” You don’t even want to ask how he knows that. “I saw her just south of here, in Addenfall. She looked, well… mad.”

Yeah, that’s Ava you love and know alright.

“I’m not all that surprised, really. There’s been some bad people running around lately particularly the Foxes. I’d love to battle you again sometime, but… there’s business I’ve got to get to, before Amelia gets mad.” He blinks when you inquire who the hell Amelia is. “Oh, Amelia? Don’t worry about that. I’ll catch you later.”

——

You can never catch a break, huh? One minute, you think you can finally rest once you touch down in Addenfall, but  _ noooo _ ! All the townsfolk just  _ had  _ to get kidnapped. You’re kind of upset, could be worse though. You’ve just been very, very irritable for the past day or so. I mean, you got betrayed by your friend, fell out of the sky, had to scale down a whole ass mountain, and now you had to do this.

Ugh.

You’re seriously at your fucking limit. You’re about to deck the next person who looks at you funny, because you’ve had  _ enough _ . If you go payless after doing some heroic task, you’ll cry. You will actually start crying. This is a threat. 

“Amelia…”

You’re so regretting this decision. So, so bad. Why does Ava get the easy jobs while you have to confront the leader? She’s the more capable one out of the two of you! Goddamn. Can’t have shit in Detroit. Also, why does the name Amelia feel so familiar? It’s probably nothing though, just your shitty memory coming to bite you in the ass again. 

“Ugh… someone always has to come and try and save the day, huh? Wait a moment… your face, I’ve seen you before.” Oh my fucking God. It’s the lady who blew up your ship. You want to shrivel up into a small ball and get punted into the air. You know how earlier you said you’d punch the next person who looks at you funny? Nevermind!

“Where was it… ah yes, upon that ship, and in the jungle. Looks like you’ve come pretty far since then, huh?” The… jungle? Was she always there? “Good for you. The fact that you can take on Black Foxes and live means something, doesn’t it? Hmph. Out of some recognition for actually making it this far, I suppose you’ve earnt some info.

I’m sure you’re expecting some noble goal from us, or some measly moral agenda. I’m sorry to disappoint. We’re just in it for the money. Nothing complicated, nothing stupid. Lilith is the only one with a goal.”

You don’t even know who that is.

“But hell, even I don’t know what she wants. Her whole project on pokemon? Ehh, I couldn’t care less.” She sighed, fishing for a pokeball on her clothes. “Well, I guess that’s all the information you’ve earned. Now, you can either run away, or join the others in the pen. I’d say it’s your choice, but hell, I already know you won’t choose either. So instead, I’ll just deal with you myself. Let me show you that you’re messing with the wrong people.”

——

“Glad to see that you came,” Tristan says, voice soft. “To be honest, I’m actually surprised that you did. I thought maybe you’d just go off, like most people do.”

He leans on the wooden railing on the bridge, staring into the blue river that flows underneath. “I’ve been thinking about what to say, because what other chance will I get to clear my head? I’ve been meaning to get something off my chest…

You see, my whole life I feel like I’ve just been forgotten, or looked down upon, no matter what I do. People forget about me, you know? They pretend that I’m not here. But why? Why can’t I be more? I’m a trainer. I’m one of the best trainers. I know you’re a great trainer too. 

So what’s holding us back? Isn’t it our natural instinct to battle? To fight with our sheer determination? Isn’t it our dream to be the very best? To succeed where everyone else would fail? If not, then tell me. What is your dream? Is it to be a hero? Someone whom everyone respects? Perhaps even envies? Because that’s my dream, and I won’t hold back until I achieve it. Come on, then.”

Goddamn, you just wanted a gym badge, not an existential crisis, man. 

Normally you’d probably dismiss one of these pre-battle speeches without much thought, but this kind of hits really hard. You’ve always felt like you’re just… some nameless kid. No one special. You never thought you’d make it far in life, like, you’d probably end up homeless and living in a box. You’ve never had many dreams, and to be a hero…

That’s just a child’s naive dream, isn’t it?

But here’s Tristan, a whole ass adult, pouring his heart to you. Telling you his dreams, his ambitions, his goals. To be a hero, someone noble and proud, someone the world can look up to.

You’ve never had any grand dreams like that. Not since you were a young child, at least. You didn’t want to be someone acknowledged, someone standing in a spotlight. You’re timid, nervous, quiet, a social wreck. But looking back on it…

You guess you’re just a little bit like a hero, huh? You’re certainly not cool, and there’s a lot of room for improvement but… you  _ did  _ just go head to head with a commander of the Black Foxes a little bit ago. You  _ did  _ just save the town from being kidnapped. 

“Tell me your dream!”

You can’t say that you ever wanted to be a hero, but seeing the faces of the people you’ve helped, young or old, the smiles in their faces and the tears in their eyes…

You can live with that.

“Heh. I couldn’t stand up to you, huh,” a smile overtakes his face. “You’re really something, aren’t you? I tried my hardest, but it looks like this is it for me, huh? Here, the Ordinary Badge.”

It feels… cold, surprisingly. You’d think some of his body heat would rub off on it, but guess not. Perhaps it was stuck in his basement for a few years or something, you don’t know.

“I’m afraid I don’t really have a TM to give you…” Tristan sighs. “You never really answered my question, you know. Perhaps, another time… come on, you have a friend to meet in Blackview. I’m actually heading there now, myself. See ya later, then!”

A dream, huh. That sounds nice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooo character development...
> 
> im so sorry the first bit was so long and boring, i hated too ahah i just wanted to write scarlett betraying you, but then i got too far into it and i didnt want to delete it
> 
> tristan is so nice?? bro i love you
> 
> goddamn hardy. thats some fuckin foreshadowing wtf
> 
> i really loved writing the last part, can you tell? i wrote mc's inspiration without thinking about it much but it really lined up with this conversation


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me when i have to bump up the rating: 👁👄👁
> 
> tw: someone fucking dies!

Today on: You Stupid Bitch, Why did you Agree to Help?

You’re nestled comfortably in the town hall of this peaceful little community, listening to the elder chat about his plans to get rid of the Black Foxes. To be fair, a lady came up to you asking to help and out of the goodness of your heart you agreed. So it’s kind of like peer pressure, right? Riiight. 

“Fine. We will stand and fight. With our combined power, we may be able to force them out. But I don’t like this. Peace should be preserved. This is not our forte,” the elder murmurs, folding his hands on the table.

“Yeah, but it’s not very peaceful anymore,” Grant— you believe that’s his name?— points out.

“No. I suppose it is not,” he sighed. “This one time, and only this time, we’ll fight. Fine, here’s the plan. Not so long ago, I was summoned to have a chat with one of those thugs. Her name is Amelia, or so I am told. I imagine she’s one of the higher ups in their pretty little gang. I haven’t spoken to her yet, but we could use this to our advantage. If I can get her alone, I’m sure that I can take her. Once I start fighting, that’ll be your signal to join in.”

“Damn, Gramps. That’s brutal, and totally unlike you. I like it.” Grant grinned in approval.

“Fine, but just this once. Don’t pretend like I want this!” A lady whom you never got the name of huffed, crossing her arms and looking away.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Glad to know you’re with us kid.” Grant gives you a pat on the shoulder. “Everyone, let’s move out!”

God. This can only end in disaster, you think.

You may have beat Amelia once, yeah, but who’s to say she doesn’t have any stronger pokemon? You don’t know how strong the elder is, and you’re a bit paranoid that he’s not as strong as he thinks he is. 

But you’ll go along with it.

“Ahh, the lovely town prune.” You duck your head and sneak past the grunts successfully, hiding behind a few boxes. You really hope that you hid well, and Amelia can’t see your head sticking out or something. That’d be too embarrassing for you. “Now, we have a little problem here.”

“I think we all have a problem here, young lady. What do you want?” The elder scowls.

“Well, you see, my friends here aren’t being given quite enough food. I even heard they’re being denied shelter! And well… we can’t have that, can we?” Amelia folds her arms, staring down the old man. “So here’s my proposal. You can hand over your houses to my friends, along with, hm… let’s say… half of your town’s food supply?”

“What?! That’s impossibly unreasonable! Do you take me for a fool?!”

“Are you, Mr. Elder? Because if your residents fail to comply, things will be much worse.”

“How dare you!” You reach for your bag. “I won’t stand for this any longer!”

“Oh  _ really _ . What about your ‘oh so peaceful’ ways? You wouldn’t lay a finger on-” You grimace as the elder shoves with all his strength, which is to say, very little. “Oh? Did you just… attack me?”

“Amelia!” A Black Fox grunt rushes past you, and you pray he didn’t notice you. “Fighting had broken out on the road!”

“Of  _ course  _ it has,” she groans. “That was your plan all along wasn’t it?”

“It’s over, girl! We’re taking this town back! This has gone on long enough!”

“Hmph. Whatever.” You heard the sound of a pokeball snapping open, and you attempt to peek at what’s happening. “Zangoose, I know this isn’t usually how we do things, but I’d rather not touch this old dude. You never know what diseases I might get. Use Slash.”

It’s a familiar feeling, actually. Dread. It claws at your stomach and wraps around your throat and legs, refusing to let you free of its grasp. 

“Wait, no!” 

Adrenaline pumps through your vein, and you grab the first pokeball you can find, but ultimately…

**You’re too late.**

Death’s a terrifying thing, isn’t it? You’re lucky that Ava’s still alive but… for this man… there’s no Aderyn, no Xatu, is there? No deus ex machina?

It  **sounds** disgusting, it  **smells** disgusting. But you can’t keep your eyes off the elderly man being punctured alive. A scream rips through his throat, and it’s a primal, raw sound that just replays in your mind over and over again.

“Oh, you fool. You people, honestly… this is just ridiculous. Why couldn't you just do your part?”

A small cry comes from him, but you’re too paralyzed in fear to act. Your thumb trembles over the white button on the pokeball, and you can feel sweat pool in your palms.

“I… I am doing my part!” Giving a war cry, he grabs the Zangoose’s arms and shoves the both of them into the ocean.

“Did that idiot just try to drown a pokemon with himself?” Amelia scoffs. “That’s unfortunate. Zangoose, return! What an idiot…”

You take a few, hesitant, shaky steps forward. “Ahh, you again. Personally, I thought you wouldn’t mess in my business again. I suppose you were behind this whole charade? Wow… now look what you’ve done. That guy… what happened to him was on you, not me. What, are you angry? This is what happens when you interfere. This was your fault. 

But you’ve proven your point. You can’t just get your mitts away from us, can you? You just can’t seem to leave us well enough alone. Fine, you amuse me enough. We’ll pull out for now. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you in Blackview City. I won’t be so lovely there.”

(  **what happened to him was on you what happened to him was on you what happened to him was on you**

**those words repeat in your head like a mantra**

**this was your fault this was your fault this was your fault** )

At least you did it, right?

——

“Oh! Thank God! A little help here?” Is that Ava and… Hardy…? With a bunch of Black Fox grunts too. “I was heading to Blackview, until this group of idiots tried to fight me! This hotshot thinks he’s the leader of the pack, but he’s in for a lesson! Help me out, will you?!”

No.

Leader of the pack?

**No no no no no.**

No. It can’t.

(  **what, are you angry?** )

You think you’re going to shoot yourself in your foot. He mentioned Amelia before! God, why did you grant this poor mortal being with no braincells, what the fuck.

“Well? What’s taking so long?!”

“... I…” Hardy begins to speak, but you don’t want to hear any of it. The rage that was slowly developing inside you suddenly spiked, threatening to bubble over. It feels hot. Very hot. “I’m so sorry…”

(  **this is what happens when you interfere.** )

“This wasn’t meant to happen, you know… I didn’t want you to find out this way.”

(  **_and when did you intend to let me find out, hardy? when? for how long?_ ** )

“Damn it… why did she have to be your friend…” He trails off, his voice cracking. 

“He’s your friend?! What were you thinking?!” Ava exclaims, and you hold your hands up in front of you. It wasn’t your fault that you didn’t know! You had like two conversations with this guy!

“You don’t get it! I have to be with the Foxes, okay?! It’s the only way!” Hardy yells, his hands balling up into fists.

(  **_i don’t get it. please tell me why. please tell me so i can understand._ ** )

“Look, I don’t know you, but I know them! I know what they’re like, and I know that they do… if you’re already an important figure to them, then we have a problem,” Ava hisses, eyebrows furrowing as she commands her Cradily.

“How could you possibly understand?! You’re a gym leader! Your stupid life is already completely perfect!” He growls and you have to will yourself to not run up to him and kick him in the nuts. 

“Oh,  _ come on _ ! Really? What could possibly be so important that you need to hurt people, huh?!”

“It’s none of your business.”

(  **a scream rips through his throat, and it’s a primal, raw sound that just replays in your mind over and over again.** )

“All you need to know… is that there’s no ‘honest’ way to do what I need to do… the Foxes… their work on pokemon… now, it’s a necessity,” Hardy sighs. “I don’t expect any sympathy from a gym leader.”

“You think that gives you the right to ruin everyone else’s day?”

(  **this was your fault.** )

“Whatever! I’ve had enough of this, okay?! Just back off! Leave me alone! You’re all the same!”

“How about you shut up, eh?!”

The Zoroark fainted. Hardy curses under his breath as he returns his pokemon. “Tch! Who cares if you beat me? It doesn’t matter! The Foxes will just keep coming back! We’ll keep coming back until we achieve our goals! Until I achieve my goal!”

“No, you  _ won’t _ ! Not you, or your stupid gang! Get  _ out  _ of here.” You watch as Cradily approaches Hardy. You watch as it launches him off the side. You watch as he falls until you can’t see him anymore.

(  **_he deserves it._ ** )

You watch in muted horror, shakily stepping to the ledge to peer down in search of Hardy.

“I… I… damn it, I didn’t mean to… “

You don’t hear what Ava says after that. All you can hear is the ringing of your ears and the exhaustion that drags under your eyes. You shut your eyes, and all you see is red. 

——

You have no idea how you got here, as per usual. One moment you’re at a shitty hotel with Connor and Ava discussing what you’ll do next, and the next you’re breaking into a trade center to save the missing gym leader. You’re suddenly really glad you have very important people as friends, because you’re sure you’d be arrested by now.

You think that maybe you should of recruited Ava or, fuck, even Connor, because you do feel a headache coming on, even if these thugs pretty much drop like flies. You don’t even know why they left you to your own devices, because you’re a magnet for trouble and you’ve gotten lost about eight times already. 

You return your pokemon into its ball, and the red-haired lady you just battled falls silent, as if contemplating all of her life choices. You walk past her, and clear out the last remaining trainer in the room. If Emily’s not in this last room, you’ll actually cry.

She is though, so you don’t have to cry today, at the very least. No guarantees though. 

“Hey!” she barks at you. “Are you another damned thug?! Come here, then! Let me smash your head into the wall! Come on!”

You, for good reason, do not want to get your head smashed into the wall, so you quickly (and anxiously) explain that you’re here to play hero once again. 

“Huh? You’re here to rescue me? Well, why didn’t you say so? Open the door, please!” 

The way her demeanor changed instantly was almost scary. One second she’s glaring at you with the intensity of three suns, and the next she’s welcoming you with open arms. 

_ CELL DOOR OVERRIDE ACTIVATED. _

“Yeah, hi. Would love to chat, but surely you can help me out of this first?” You gladly do, because for one, you’re a nice person, and two, you’re kind of scared of her. “Thanks, trainer! You’re not so bad! Now, before we chat, I have a quick errands with my friends outside. I’m sure they’ll be absolutely shocked. I’ll be riiiiiight back.”

You watch her happily skip off. You decide to ignore the yelling outside.

“Oh, hey,” Assho— er— Connor, greets you. “I should’ve known you’d beat me here. Well, then again, I kind of let you. I mean, I hate being near her. You have no idea how—”

You hear footsteps stomping towards the room. You watch Connor’s expression morph into mild irritation to something you can’t really pinpoint, but looks like horror? 

“Right, now that that’s out of the way… trainer, what was your name again? I owe you a big thanks for…”

You meekly stare at Emily. 

“...Oh. Hello, Connor.”

You watch him swallow in fear. 

“Oh, I’ll definitely be dealing with you later. But for now, my savior. So, your name?”

——

Things have  _ really  _ gone to shit. One moment you’re being recruited by the Teal Panthers, the next you’re being hypnotised and locked up in jail. And now  _ everything’s  _ on fire and your throat hurts like hell from breathing in all the smoke. Everything’s so disorientating and confusing, and you feel like you’re going to die. 

“Oh… it’s you, huh? Look buddy, I’m sorry. But I need to see her, alone. I can convince her. I’m sure of it. Stay out of this. Growlithe! Sorry.” Flames blow into your face, and you only manage to barely avoid them. You contemplate risking third degree burns just to kill Connor, but you decide to go the long way. 

You’re pretty sure you can’t stand up straight, and every breath you take feels like… well, fire. On your way to the Sky Tower, you bump into a red-haired lady you recognize from earlier. She says something to you but you’re so disorientated and a mess that it just falls on deaf ears.

But you’re so close. You can make it. You nearly bash into the door and swing it open, almost throwing it off its hinges. Your hands are shaking as you press the buttons on the elevator, and you manage to make your way to the rooftop. 

“Scarlett, please! Just understand!”

You don’t want to know how Connor fucked up this time.

“No, you don’t understand, Connor…”

Scarlett… she’s so close, but your legs feel as if they have steel weights on them, dragging them down.

“Then make me understand!”

“Can’t you see, Connor? This world is sick! Look down there! All I can see is people being hurt, people dying! People and pokemon suffering in pain! Then there’s us… those that can save the world! But only if we all work together! Tell me, Connor. What happens when people try to solve their differences? What happens when war stops?” 

This feels like a nightmare, really. This is definitely some young adult dystopian novel. Team Crescent is burning the city to the ground, and you can say that—?

“Someone else starts. It’s an infinite cycle, Connor.”

“Scarlett… please… come back. We can solve this without Crescent, just us.”

“No, we can’t. I’m  _ done _ being that dense girl that sits around waiting for a hero. In this story, I am the hero. And heroes… heroes have to make tough decisions.” She glances behind her, above all the skyscrapers and the buildings. The urge to vomit suddenly intensifies when you understand what she means. “But they always make the right decisions.”

(  **how dare you! i won’t stand for this any longer!** )

“Scarlett… No!” You run to Connor, who’s clenching his side in pain. You think you can see a little blood, but it’s hard to tell. “Urk… Scarlett…”

He looks at you, defeated. “Please… I know I told you not to interfere. I know I insult you, belittle you and… and I won’t be sorry. It’s just who I am.”

Oh, Connor. Such an asshole, and will always be an asshole.

“But please… Scarlett means so much to me. Please, save her.”

You step forward. 

“It’s you. It always seemed like you thought Ava was the better of us. I’m not surprised it ended up this way… but I won’t hold that against you.” She meets your gaze, and her eyes burn with a fire, with such determination and ambition.

“I had no choice. You think it’s as easy as you want? You think you beat the ‘bad guys’ and it’s suddenly all sugar and rainbows? You think we’ll all live happily ever after? It doesn’t work like that. Not in this world. But in the other world… we can live, all of us! We can all be truly invincible, and can live our happiest lives.

Isn’t that worth fighting for?! Well?! I want that future. I want that happiness! But you chose to keep living this reality,  _ this hell _ . I need to save everyone… and I know I can do it. But you won’t, will you? You already made that choice when you helped Shiv. I guess there’s only one thing to do. I’ll do everything I can to restore this world. I’ll make those hard decisions. I’m sorry.”

A rush of adrenaline rushes through you. The rain hits your face, mixing with your tears. You think you’re ugly crying right now, but you don’t care. You don’t want to live in a world without your friend. This reality is sick and cruel, and only has the worst waiting for you at the end. You know that, you always have.

This world will always be a garbage fire of shit, because humans will err. And they will err in this new world, because leaders like Baron only seek for their own gain. And then the cycle repeats, over and over again. And you’re sick of that cycle, you really are, and you’d love to see it end as much as Scarlett, but not like this.

You’re scared. You’re scared to die, but you refuse to eat up the shit that Scarlett does, because if you have to kill and destroy to obtain that perfect world— what’s the point? Those people whose lives were lost along the way... they don’t get to live the dream. They don’t get to stand with you, holding hands and laughing. They don’t get to be happy. 

But this world, even with all of it’s imperfections, is a world that you will fight for. 

“Yeah… I don’t know why I thought I could beat you. It doesn’t matter, though. I’ve made my choice. I know what I must do. Darkrai… its perfection form is what we need to change this world. Although… it won’t come out for just anyone. It requires a show of commitment to a new world, a better one.

I never knew what the commitment would entail, until Nova explained it to me… the ultimate commitment is of course, life itself. The sacrifice of someone innocent, but truly dedicated. Someone who understands what needs to be done. Someone with conviction. Someone who wants the future that Darkrai can make. Me.”

(  **i… i am doing my part!** )

Hearing all of this spew out of Scarlett’s mouth… it’s hurts. It makes your stomach churn with dread and other terrible emotions. You don’t want to see her die, no— not like this. Not a fool’s death, dying for a cause like this.

“Scarlett, please! No!”

“A hero has to make hard decisions.”

You approach her.

“I… look, I have to die!”

(  **what happened to him was on you.** )

You put your hand in your bag, and pull out Scarlett’s old bow. 

“That’s… that’s…”

“Scarlett… please… that’s your old bow! Remember when we were all together? As friends, just running about? We don’t have to throw all of that away!” You can hear desperation leak into Connor’s voice as he begs for her to live.

“No… no… I have to die. For this to work, I have to die. I have to… but… but… I thought I was strong enough to do this! I thought I could do this… but… but seeing you in front of me with… with all your hopes…” She’s crying now. You’re pretty sure that all three of you are crying, actually.

“How could you be so convicted! Our memories… you’re all good people! And what if you’re right… what am I doing…” 

“Hey… it’s okay… let me get on my feet.” Connor clumsily stands up, and rushes to Scarlett. “I’ll get you out of here.”

It’s over?

You feel a wave of euphoria wash over you.

“Hey! You doing okay?”

You did it. Scarlett’s okay. It worked.

“Man, you’re not looking so good…”

Everything’s okay now. 

“Hey? Woah!”

You can rest.

——

You look terrible. Your hair’s skewed everywhere, and you actually had to wrestle with the knots in your hair. You think you’ve lost some body weight and you look paler than before. You still have a few injuries from the incident, but they’re mostly healed, though.

You rinse your face with water and gather all of your resolve. You promised Emily to a battle, and you don’t want to keep a lady waiting, do you? You step out of the bathroom and make your way over to the gym. 

“You ready to go?!” Emily asks you, practically bouncing up and down.

You nod.

“WOOOOOOOOO!! Ever since I saw you defending my city, I knew that I wanted to battle you! You’ve got some serious flair and now… I’m supercharged! WOOOOOOOO!!” She fistpumps, and you feel as if she’s going to break out in dance and start singing any moment now. “Ah, this is so exciting! I’m a gym leader, right? Apparently, that means I’m on the same level as my brother. But Connor? He’s nothing. I’m in my own league. I’ll show you what battling really means! 

And… hey… I’m sorry about all that’s happened. But you know that I don't really let myself dwell on the past. No matter what happens, I always try and look to the future. And in the future… well… you’re in for a shock!”

Emily trying to comfort you is almost the same as adults telling you to just “be happy!” when you’re depressed, but you can appreciate the thought, you suppose. 

Right. This past month or so has been a hot mess. Literally! So much has happened. You wonder if you can get a therapist, but that might be a little hard. After all the shit that’s been going down, you’re sure that most of them have been booked.

Hardy… you don’t understand him, and you doubt you will. The Black Foxes leave a little bit of a bitter taste in your mouth, especially with all that’s happened. What went down atop Hardened Mountain… you weren’t thinking rationally, to say the least, but you doubt anyone would be, in your shoes. You’re not some battle hardened dude, you’re just… you. And you want to hear Hardy out, at the very least. He doesn’t seem like the type of person to be working with them, does he? 

You can understand Scarlett. You’re not an asshole, so you too, wish for world peace and happiness. But obtaining happiness from ways such as sacrificing yourself isn’t the way to go. Perhaps you’re a little biased, but you forgave her quite easily. Her goals were noble, weren’t they? 

She was so willing to give it all up for the greater good. You’re a bit scared to think about what happened if you didn’t have her old bow. Would she have…? No. Don’t think about it. You don’t know how this’ll all play out in the end, but… you’ll try to make this world a better place, even if just a little. For your friend. For humanity. And for the pokemon, too.

“It’s time to overload!”

You really wish you could have done more for the small town back then, more specifically, the old man. You just stood there like an idiot when you could have done something— you might’ve been able to save him. That experience definitely left a scar or two on you, but you think it’s best to move on. No, you won’t forget him, definitely not, but these scars are a testament to a life that lived. Wounds may cut deep, but with time, they will heal, and so will you. 

“I ran out of power… I think I’m about to switch off, so let’s make this quick. Here’s the piece of metal that’s super important and stuff…”

She chucks the badge across the room, and you nearly drop it. 

“And… for you, special trainer! A disc I just found lying around on the ground! Really though, I’m shocked. I didn’t expect you to be so amazing. I don’t have anything to say… I’m blown away.” She let out a low whistle. “You’ve got some mad potential. Go to Cellia. Take on some of the top dogs there! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta recharge!”

You did it, but you’re hardly surprised now. You’ve come so far from being a tiny weakling to this, huh? You give yourself a pat on the back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooo this chapter was so fun to write but i dont think i did a very good job ahaha
> 
> the script is so good but i think writing tense, emotional scenes are my weak point
> 
> i decided to change it up a bit to match the edginess of this chapter but i think it stands out too much ahahaha
> 
> i was so tempted to kill off scarlett... but i decided not to at the last minute lol
> 
> rip unnamed old man 😔


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ughh im so tired writing this but i hope u enjoy! its very long ahaha

“So uhh… nobody’s home?” Connor peers around the empty and messy home. 

“Seems that way, huh?” Ava muses, kicking up some dust on the floor. “HellooOOooOOoo! Anybody home?!”

“Maybe he’s off somewhere?”

“I don’t know… something seems… off.” Ava shakes her head.

“This place is a mess…” Connor mutters, “can’t imagine what the dude must be like…”

“Yeah, I’m getting that vibe too.” You’re offended, but only a little, because you’d pretty much die for Tristan. “This book here… it’s absolutely covered in dust, dude. It must’ve been years since there was a home here…”

“Hey… are you  _ sure  _ someone lives here?” Connor asks, quirking an eyebrow at you. You shrug in response.

“How about we just all look around, alright ? There might be a clue or two.” Ava dusts off a book. 

“Ugh… fine…” he groans like a fourteen-year old talking to his mom, “but we don’t have time for this.”

Right. There was a book that caught your eye, actually, but you don’t want to snoop into other people’s personal life. Well, people that you like, at the very least.

“An Old Man’s Diary”, the cover read. You flip the pages open, and begin to silently read. Grandson… huh… but doesn’t that mean that…?

“Oh, you found something?” Ava peers over your shoulder to look at the diary. “Tristan’s grandfather built this place when there were no inhabitants in the forest…? That’s… odd… there’s been inhabitants in Route 3 for over 50 years…? Tristan should be as old as his grandfather by now… but you described him as being quite young…”

“Dermatologists hate him?”

“Wow, funny guy.”

“Learn one free trick to have healthy skin!”

“Seriously, stop.”

“Hey… at least I’m trying…”

“Stop trying then, this is serious. Keep looking for clues, okay? Perhaps look upstairs?”

You’d normally laugh, but you have a sinking feeling that something’s going to happen, and it certainly won’t be good. Maybe the grandson grew up to have a child named Tristan Jr.? But Tristan Jr. was so embarrassed by his name he got it changed? 

You slowly make your way up the stairs, the boards creaking beneath your feet. You pick up a red book on the table upstairs, and you hold your breath as you read. Nothing incriminating— just him talking about how much he hates his grandson. Harsh. You clamber back downstairs to tell Ava.

“More information, huh?” You nod, and begin to explain. “So Tristan’s grandfather got depressed… huh… this sounds familiar… wait… what? No… you said that… you said that Tristan became the gym leader? The normal-type gym leader?”

The feeling of dread was almost overwhelming, now.

“Oh, no… no, no, no. I need you to think back. When was the last time you saw him? In fact, think about every time you saw him. Just… just think. Remember.”

Remember…? Well… there was the first meeting on Silver Rise, and then you met him in his house, and…

“The normal… the normal-type gym leader? Ava…” You know it’s bad when Connor sounds concerned.

“I don’t know how to say this, but… show me your pocket. Show me your gym badge.” You oblige. You almost drop it from how hard your hand is shaking. “Figures. There’s no normal-type badge in there. I only count three badges.”

“The normal-type badges are all over here,” Connor calls out. “Cold. Untouched. What’s in this pokeball, anyway?”

He opens it, but there’s nothing inside. “It’s… empty. Huh… it hasn’t been used in years. Used to contain a… Lopunny.”

“No one has seen Tristan, or even knows Tristan except you.”

But— but— didn’t he say that he was going to introduce you to Rosetta? 

“And you think he claims to be the normal-type gym leader? Well, there’s a problem with that. You see… there hasn’t been a normal-type gym leader in over five years.

That gym leader… Tristan…

**He’s dead** .

**He’s been dead for five years** .”

——

You think it’s very nice that Ava paid for your stay at the nearby motel. You’d appreciate it if she did it more often, in fact, because you’re greedy and make terrible life decisions, especially when it comes to money. You’re only half joking, Ava doesn’t need to spend her money on you, but everything else is true.

Your bank account weeps.

However, Ava did not accommodate another person to stay here, which is why you’re wondering why the  _ fuck _ Shiv is staring at you, in a chair, in the dead of night. How long has he been there? You’re very self conscious, and you do not appreciate him staring at you, thanks.

Speaking of Shiv, you know an uncomfortable amount about his past. You barely know him, and now you’re having dreams about his old life? Goddamn, he could at least take you out to dinner first before unleashing all of his baggage on you.

“Hey. Long time, no see.” You blankly stare at him. “Before you get alarmed… yes, I did barge into your room at this dingy hotel.”

Wow. Thanks for clarifying. You sure appreciate it.

“It’s unfortunate that we had to meet in such a… well, strange setting.”

_ You think???? _

“Yet… desperate times call for desperate measures. Listen, I’m only really here for one reason. You see, Nova has the stone.” Again? You sit up in your bed, paying close attention. “Which, as we both know, will only end badly. But… you see… I wanted to show you more. I wanted to show you exactly why Nova cannot be trusted. 

What you just saw in that dream was one of my memories— just like the one where the Onyx Stone was hidden. Yet, that memory… yes, Nova and I knew each other very well, a long time ago. But all good things come to an end eventually. And over time, I will show you exactly how that happened. I want you to know Nova like I do. Because… even after what she’s done…”

This is getting too uncomfortably personal for your taste.

“...For now, know this. Nova and I have very little power within Cellia. So if you find Nova… please, take the stone from her. You need not give it to me, just keep it from her. That is all I ask. I have is what is on the other side— what she intends to unleash. It is not peace she will bring— but the opposite. Aside from that… I hope you enjoy your stay.” 

Unfortunately, you have a feeling you won’t. You don’t even know how to get inside Cellia City for goodness sake, because they’re demanding you have a Cellia Passport or something along your lines.

Ugh. You need some rest. 

——

Rosetta’s lucky that she’s famous, because if Ava and like, the rest of the world, didn’t like her so much, you would have a very big problem with her. You, much like the rest of the population, do not appreciate to go down into the sewers to do rat hunting. It smells horrible. You almost puked.

And the man who sent you down there, Garret… well, he’s certainly a personality. You can see why Rosetta doesn’t want to associate with him. 

“Ugh! Lord knows I hate being down here!” Speak of the devil, huh? “Oi! Wait up, would ya?”

Well, at least you aren’t alone? But you’re certainly going to be doing the chore by yourself, so. “I’ve come down to make sure that Fox doesn’t get away, assuming you fail. But me being with you will give you an edge in your test, so I’ll run ahead. Let’s see who can find the den first, huh?” 

Your first impression of him was less than ideal, but you highly doubted he cared for that. You can’t say you’re very fond of him, but that’s most part because he sent you down here. 

“Well, well. Looks like you didn’t have too much trouble finding the place. And here I thought you’d get lost.”

Gee, thanks for the inspiring words of encouragement, Garret!

“I guess it’s time to carry on with that test, huh? After you, mate.”

Yeah, whatever. The rest of the grunts were fairly easy to clear out, but…

“I’m sick of this, lieutenant.” Oh no. Not her again. You highly doubt she’d be happy with you after Emily pulled a fast one on her back in Blackview. “In fact, I don’t even know if you’re deserving of that title, especially considering recent events. You’ve caused us a lot of trouble.”

Ahahah. Fuck. Can you just go back? You don’t think Garret and Rosetta would be very happy, but you would rather not get your throat punctured by an angry 5’6” lady. 

“Time after time, you continue to disappoint. You, and your pathetic band of stragglers. You make excuses, blame other Foxes… you waste my time. I think you’re about overdue. How many more chances do you think you deserve, hmm? Well?”

God. You’d be terrified if you were that person. 

“This ain’t your business, Amelia. It’s not my fault that your shitty employees can’t fight trainers and win. What happened to that other den in central… that wasn’t even human. It was that damned woman.” Oh. The lady that held you hostage? Yeah, you don’t like her. 

“You think I care about Aurora? This is about you. Your failures, and your incompetencies. You know, I’ve about had  _ enough _ of you. And Lilith feels the same way.” Lilith… you’ve heard that name before. Is she the leader of the Black Foxes? It’s just speculation, but Amelia seems to respect her.

“So what, then?! You think you can just cut me off? You think you can afford to throw away one of your best? I dare you to try. These people here follow me! Not you, or Lilith!”

“No. They follow the damned Foxes, and you’d best remember that the next time you mess up. This is your last warning.” Dead silence falls over the lieutenant. “Absol, I believe our work is done. Let’s go.”

Oh, okay, she’s gone, you don’t have to fight the scary lady. Phew. You can do your job now. 

“Well, damn. Ahahaha! Seriously? This job will be the death of me.” Literally, you bitterly think. “First Amelia, now some kid? Listen, mate. Today’s been a rough day for me. Perhaps you would like to help me relieve my stress, yes? If you’re good enough to get past the posers that defend this den… then I supposed there’s nothing wrong with curb stomping you. Enough talk.”

You click your tongue irritably, reaching for your bag.

——

“So, as of today you are now the new owner of the Cellia Manor!” Rosetta cheers, scribbling down something on a piece of paper.

Huh?

“Hah! Yes, I’m serious! I can get anything done in this city, if I put my mind to it! Honestly, consider it a gift for your help in Blackview! The Cellia Manor is now yours, trainer.”

Your brain is short circuiting right now.

What.

You take back anything bad you’ve said about Rosetta, if ever, really. You understand those diehard fans now. You  _ are  _ those diehards fans now. 

Holy shit.

You’re a homeowner now? What the hell? All your complaining about not getting paid actually  _ worked _ ?

You’re going to combust. Probably. Maybe. 

“Excellent! When you’re ready, go see the manor’s maid, Mana. You’ll be a bit surprised when you first meet her, but she’s an excellent asset. I’m sure she’ll know exactly what’s helpful for a trainer, such as yourself.”

_ You have a maid?  _

“Now, onto other business. I’m sure you haven’t returned for no reason… I see… so it was Nova that was in that manor. Did you perhaps pick up any clues of Aurora’s whereabouts?” You nod energetically, almost like a puppy. “Oh, this piece of clothing…? Interesting. The material is one I don’t recognise. The insignia scratched on the side… very curious. Unfortunately, I can’t say I recognise anything that will be of help. But perhaps… yes, of course! 

Take it to the stock storage facility in Central! They monitor all sorts of stuff like this… surely, they can help!  _ Finally _ , we might have a lead. Find Aurora. We can finally deal with this thorn in my side, once and for all. Oh, I also have one other favour to ask. But it’s completely optional, really. Just let me know if you’re interested. If you help me out, I’m sure I can give you a favour or two further down the track!”

So you agree to help, naturally, because the lady gave you a motherfucking  _ manor _ . You’d be absolutely delighted to have a small apartment paid for you, but a  _ manor _ ???

Goodness. 

But first thing’s first, instead of being a good samaritan and helping out the wellbeing of others, you go check your new home. 

“Absolute shambles!” a voice scoffs when you crack open the door. You step inside, and meet eyes with a Gardevoir. “The disgrace of it, truly! Dear trainer— food left out, empty rooms, cluttered furniture… completely and utterly disgraceful! We must get to work immediately!”

You blink. 

“Oh… my… excuse my manners. Dear trainer, my name is Mana. I have been instructed by Miss Rosetta to keep your new manor in order. But already I can see that there is lots of work to be done! Come, follow me if you would.” She tugs your arm, and teleports you to another room. 

Well… you certainly weren’t expecting this when Rosetta told you you had a maid, but at least Mana’s… spirited, you suppose? 

——

You mentally hype yourself up for what’s about to come. Yeah, raiding a Fox den by your lonesome is totally a great idea, and not at all would get you killed. Well, to be fair, everyone you do know is either gone or well known enough so you can’t sneak in with them. I mean, theoretically, you can wait, yes, but...

“Miss Amelia, I bring with me a new recruit.” It’s a bit late for that. 

“Excellent, it’s always good to see—” You force a smile. “...All of you. In this room. Absolute… idiots. That’s not a recruit— that’s the enemy! That’s the trainer from Blackview City! I won’t ask how you found this place. But perhaps things aren’t so bad. You know, this is a brilliant opportunity for me. After all, you and I aren’t finished yet.”

Ahahaha you’re fucked. You’re so FUCKED.

“...Foxes… make sure this trainer doesn’t leave this room breathing.”

Can we get three hip-hip-hoorays for having to beat every goddamn grunt in this building? You clear out the area and disable the stupid security system that barely worked. Seriously, why did they build it? 

“Oh, what an honor it is to see you again! And in  _ my  _ den, no less! Tut, tut. You continue to surprise me. After everything you did for the  _ lovely  _ people of Blackview, you truly are special. You should be  _ so  _ very proud. Indeed, even amongst our ranks you gained some recognition. You went from a nobody… to a bounty.” Amelia stares daggers at you, throwing the pokeball in her hands and catching it.

Haha, you’re in danger!

“Hmph. Very impressive. Even more impressive is when a bounty decides to waltz right into their hunter’s hands. I won’t complain, though. No, not at all. Hmph. There is quite the audience, isn’t there? Be sure not to disappoint them. I’m certain you came here for a reason. 

But you see, I don’t really care about your reasoning. Perhaps afterwards, I may ask what it is you came here seeking. When you’re six feet underground. You humiliated me last time, but not this time. No, this time, crushing you is the least I will do.”

You sigh, and get ready to fight. You really wish you didn’t have Amelia as an enemy, not because she’s a hassle to fight or anything, but because she scares you. A lot. And unlike other people, who would just stand there after getting their asses kicked, Amelia would and could kill you.

And then Ava would probably resurrect you just to kill you again, and, ugh, it’s just a whole situation that you just don’t want to deal with.

“Defeated again, huh? No trainer has ever bested me twice before. No matter. I don’t need my pokemon to put an end to you.”

Well, you really don’t condone this, but you prepare to command your pokemon to beat up Amelia, if needed. She’s just a regular person, not like Shiv and Aurora, right? You doubt she’d be able to take a Moonblast to the face.

“...What… what is that? No… here…?! But… what have I…?!” 

You take a step back when a woman with black hair and red eyes teleports into a room, with a… Mega Umbreon...? 

“What the?! Lilith! What are you doing here? I thought we agreed—” Lilith… you’ve heard that name. Someone important to the Foxes. You feel like you already know her role, but you don’t want to assume.

“Quiet now, Amelia. You,” Lilith turns to look at you. “I’ve heard many things about you. Yet, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of being introduced. My name is Lilith, I am the head of the Black Foxes. I’m sure you may have heard of me— nothing good, I imagine. And thus I understand that we meet on opposite ends of the same spectrum— as adversaries. Unfortunately, this is not the time for conflict. As much as I’d like to test your strength, there is no longer time.”

“What are you saying?” Amelia barks, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Hmph. Your hatred for them has very much blinded you, Amelia. It seems you have forgotten about a far greater threat— Aurora, and her brother, Shiv.”

“Oh, please, don’t tell me you actually believe that nonsense about them,” she scoffs.

“You would be a fool not to, girl. Even I have seen it firsthand. Need I remind you that one of our bases was  _ completely _ annihilated just one by just one of them? Amelia, dear… they’re not so different from me. They also have the knowledge I have. Perfection…” That sounds familiar… Darkrai’s perfection form, you think that’s where the source of familiarity comes from?

“You came here seeking Aurora, yes? Well, you will not find her here. Not anymore, at least. But I must tell you, you are approaching this situation in the wrong way. In order to stop Aurora, and to take the Onyx Stone out of her hands, you must first understand her. As there is more to Aurora than I would dare say. 

Listen closely. Deep under the Cellia Library you will find the Archives— Ayrith’s greatest store of sensitive information. It is here that you will find out the truth behind Aurora. You will need help in order to access the Archives, as Rosetta will not allow you to enter willingly. I suggest you speak to Garret, he will certainly aid you.”

Oh hell yeah, you’re always down to commit crimes. You just hope you don’t get arrested this time, because you know that breaking into the archives is a harshly punished crime.

“You may be asking yourself why you should trust me. Yet, the answer is quite simple. Aurora is holding the Onyx Stone… while the stone itself will not aid her, it will allow her to make a realization that will only spell defeat for both of us. 

The twins, without realizing it, are falling into a web that they don’t even know they’ve spun. You cannot let yourself fall in with them. Fighting amongst ourselves is pointless. We must work together. I ask for a truce, so that I might lead you safely to our combined foe.”

“What?! You don’t mean…?!” Amelia blinks in shock, almost offended. 

“Yes, until safety from that family is guaranteed, we are all allies,” Lilith responds calmly. 

“What? No way! I don’t like this, not one bit! Allies or not, you… once I get the chance—” It’s almost funny to see Amelia like this. She sounds like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

“You shouldn’t worry, Amelia. Besides, you’ve got a bigger problem to deal with. As I would believe, the location of your northern den has been compromised. It seems it may be time to move.”

Haha, oops.

“I… yeah, right. Whatever. I get it, keep me out of the picture.”

“Find the one they call Garret. Breach the archives, and most importantly, avoid Rosetta. Her foolishness to protect her people from the truth will only spell her end. Do not speak to her, unless you’re certain that she trusts you. Now, our time to speak has ended. I trust you will not let me down— for both of our sakes. I look forward to hearing of your results. Umbreon.”

“Umb!”

Find Garret? That sounds like a fun time. Well, you’ve never been a goody two shoes anyways, you just prefer to keep your head out of trouble.

——

If you had a dime for everytime you had to run through an area on fire and fight Black Foxes, you’d have twenty cents. Not a lot, but it’s still weird that it happened twice. 

You agreed to help Garret in exchange with him helping you break into the archives. You cover your mouth with your shirt, the electronic doors sliding open for you. 

“Go!” Garret barks. “I’ve got these guards!”

You shimmy your way past the grunts, frantically running into the lobby where—

“You? Of all the people that had to come?!”

Oh. Of course it’s Hardy. You’re not even surprised anymore. 

“This is a strange coincidence, isn’t it? Both of us helping out groups we never thought we’d be a part of.” Well, you’re not  _ that  _ shocked that you’re fighting alongside a gang. You figured that you’d end up somewhere along those lines, but not this early in your life.

“What a shitshow. If there is such a thing as fate, it’s certainly an ass. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have pitted us against each other.”

You’re glad to see that the both of you are on the same page.

“No matter. I have my goals and you have yours. I won’t ask for your sympathy. I only ask that you forgive me for what I’m about to do. Because after all this is over, I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive myself.” 

You’re not sure if you can. You know that he doesn’t have much choice, it’s all Lilith and Amelia pulling the strings, really, but still… he… he’s still a lieutenant. He still hurt people didn’t he?

“En garde.”

You win. Neither of you are shocked. You’ve always come out on top, haven’t you?

“It seems I have lost my touch,” he sighs. “Ever since I joined this lot, things haven’t been the same. I’m a criminal now, heh. I never saw myself doing any of this. The things we do when we’re desperate… but it’ll be worth it in the end. Surely.”

The end, huh? Seems so far away from now. The uncertain future… you can’t say you look forward to it. You wonder what he means by “desperate” though. Amelia said that their only motivation is money, outside of Lilith, but… hm.

“This isn’t over, not yet. My dream is still the same— I’ll be the League champ in no time. I just… I have a detour to make, there’s no choice. To think I could defect from the Foxes and make my own decisions… that was foolish. Waldenhall… he’s the answer I’ve been looking for. I’d better get back to Lilith. I suspect we’ll see each other soon. Until next time.”

——

Make that thirty cents, actually. Well— technically, no Black Foxes, so you’re good. Shiv, Nova, and Aurora spin to look at you once you emerge from the library. Shiv and Aurora have their pokemon out, and you begin to wonder what kind of family feud you walked into. 

Shiv calls your name. “Is that you!? Damn it! Please! I can’t fight my own sister alone! She’s far too strong, please! You won’t hear me say this again, but I need your help! Before she hurts Nova.”

“Hmm? So that’s your name… so this is why your scent was familiar…” you decide to ignore the creepy comment, “you knew my brother all along. You’re quite the enigma. I don’t know you well, but I know this. You just came out of the archives. I know you were there. 

You’ve seen my journal, haven’t you? Which means you know the truth. You know what Nova has done. She deserves what she's going to get from me. I don’t know if I have it in me to fight Shiv, not again. Please. Avert his eyes.”

“No! Please! Trust me! Please! Aurora can be stopped! This can end happily, I swear it! Please, forgive Nova!” Shiv begs standing in front of Nova protectively, commanding his Aipom to fight.

This… this reminds you a lot about what happened on the rooftops, with Scarlett and Connor. Of course, the situation’s a little different. But.. you don’t think you have it in you to condemn Nova. You’re not some figure that upholds law and justice, you literally just broke into the archives with Garret. And plus, condemning her would mean… killing her, and you don’t think you can stomach that. 

You stand in front of Shiv like it’s some sort of shitty protection conga line.

“Thank you.” Shiv’s voice cracks, relief spilling in. “I’m glad you can see reason… in times like these, reason often seems to go out the window, right sis?”

“Hmph. I shouldn’t have expected much better,” Aurora scoffs. “Even after you’ve seen what she's capable of, you’d side with her. You’re a special kind of stupid, aren’t you?”

Yeah. You are. Which is why you’ll fight for what you believe in.

“...It doesn’t really matter now, does it? In the end, you’re both the same. You and Nova. Both of you are corrupting my little brother. Turning him on me. Turning family on each other. I won’t forgive you. Instead, I’ll show you the real power of this family. Stand tall while you can. I won’t hold back.” 

The battle goes about how you’d expect. You won. At this point, you've just kind of accepted the fact that you’re all powerful and can defeat just about anything as long as you will it, or something like that. 

But then Nova fucks it all up by stabbing Shiv in the back. Literally  _ and  _ figuratively. And as you’d imagine, Aurora gets pissed, more than before. And Aurora literally tried to kill Nova, so.

“Aargh, damn it! Erggghh… no! Damn it… damn it!” You kneel down, watching blood gush out of his back. You’re not trained in first aid at all, oh God. “This isn’t over… not yet! Not yet… a portal… of course… a portal…”

“Hey… grab my hand. Come on, now! You’re going to teleport just like Aurora and I do. Follow them through. Save Nova, please. And save my sister from herself. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Please. Don’t let me down.”

And who are you to ignore a dying man’s request?  He takes your hands in his, and you feel a force take hold of you. 

——

You peel open your eyes, and you glance at the new world before you. It almost looks like the place you to go when you use the beamer grid to teleport.

“Leave me the hell alone, Aurora!”

“Leave you alone?! That was the last damn straw! I’m ending you here, Nova!”

That’s them. You pick up the pace a little, well, more like a lot, because someone’s life is literally at stake. 

“You think you can run, sweetheart? Oh really? Good luck trying.”

“Please… Aurora…! Please! I was always just scared and… please, please!”

Your heart squeezes a little at Nova begging. You hardly care for her, she even works with the organization that tried to kill two of your friends, but...

“Scared, little Nova? So you should be. There’s nowhere left to run.”

“It’s over, Nova. It’s finally over. This is my grid, not yours. You don’t even know how to get out.”

“Aurora… please, please don’t do this! Wait…!” Nova notices you standing there behind Aurora, and calls your name. “Please!”

“You… you’re here. You continue to surprise me. You won’t leave me alone, will you? You’d even chase me here… but you’re no different, when it comes down to it. Because even you don’t understand.”

You don’t. This situation is beyond your comprehension, truthfully. You just found out why Aurora despises Nova so much like, ten minutes ago.

“And how could you? You’re not like Shiv and I. You’re not a complete monster. You’re just… you, a normal person. Yet… you at least appear to care a whole lot more than one. How very heroic of you.”

Aurora pauses in her speech to think.

“...Tell me. What is a hero, really? In a world such as this… heroes aren’t all we envisioned. When you think of a hero… who do you imagine? Truly?”

You give an answer. You think of Tristan, somehow, while you do. It’s a bit half-assed, and you didn’t put your whole thought and heart into it, but you answered.

“Hmph. Not that it matters. What do you intend to do here? You’re in my world, under my rules. Neither of you are going anywhere, not without my say so. But still… you’re so interesting to me. So interesting for such a normal person… or perhaps I’ve been wrong about you this entire time. In time, we will see. As for you,” Aurora smiles cruelly, and Nova backs against the wall of the grid, “time is up.”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Aurora! Please!” Desperation is a horrifying look on her. Seeing someone so confident and cocky, be reduced to a shriveling mess begging for the chance to live really does something to your psyche.

“You just won’t give up, will you? Are you so blind? Nova. She manipulated Shiv, stabbed him twice. She stole a part of me, refused to give it back. She even manipulated you too at some point, didn’t she? People like this don’t deserve a spot on this planet. And you, what do you think?!”

Well. Aurora’s not  _ wrong _ . The whole, stabbing Shiv and manipulating the both of them, you mean. Not the whole, “Nova doesn’t deserve to live part”, that… you don’t agree with. You most certainly don’t like Nova, but that’s mostly because of association with Crescent, isn’t it? You desire a world of peace without any carnage to clean up. It seems impossible, but…

“She saved Shiv’s life,” you say.

“...What are you talking about? How did you… how did you know about… of course… that entry.” She sounds on the verge of laughing. “You continue to surprise me. Hmph… I had almost forgotten. No. It doesn’t matter. She manipulated him… lied to him… who cares if she… this was her fault.”

“...You’re right, Aurora,” Nova breathes, closing her eyes. “It’s my fault. I lied to him, hurt him. But I really did feel something for him. It wasn’t all fake.”

“...You destroyed my family, Nova. You took an important part of me and never gave it back. You turned my little Shiv into the shadow he is now.”

“I know, Aurora. I can’t take back what I’ve done. Look… damn it… I was just so scared. I was all alone too, remember. Just like you and Shiv. I wanted your powers. I wanted to be strong. I feel like… I feel like I wasn’t myself. Like I wasn’t in control.” She combed her fingers through her hair. “Even now, I feel like… I don’t know. I know that I can’t fix what I’ve done… I know that I can’t be forgiven. Look… I get it. I know what needs to happen. I know what I deserve. I’m tired of running, Aurora. Do it, do what you have to do.”

“...You took everything from me. You could have least taken all of my powers and let me live as a normal person. But no, you had to break both Shiv and I. Ruin everything we had, just for yourself. I hate you, Nova. And you deserve everything you get.

......But I’m not one to deal justice,” Aurora murmurs, “after all… you saved my little brother. Without you, he’d be dead.”

“Aurora… I…”

“No more, Nova. No more fighting. We’re done talking.”

“...Thank you.”

Aurora turns to you. “You continue to surprise me. You brought out a side of me that I haven’t seen in a long, long time. You truly are curious, aren’t you? Perhaps… you and I will also get to know one another better… it has been certainly interesting chatting with you. I believe I will be in contact with you, and soon. But for now… I think we shall call it a day, yes? For now, just sleep.”

Sleep sounds really good right now, you think hazily, before the world vanishes beneath your feet.

——

Man, what’s with you passing out and waking up in beds these days? Goodness. It’s very rude of you to do that.

“Hey! ‘Bout time! For a moment I thought you were gonna bail on me. Come on, let’s not keep the others waiting.” Bail? The only way out is up, and you’re not jumping off the roof without one hell of a good reason. Ava links her hand in yours and drags you to the living room.

“Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Oh, and the loser too,” Connor greets— can you even call that a greeting? It’s like… the opposite of a greeting. A… shunning?

“Hey! Shut it, nerd!” Ava barks. “If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t even  _ be  _ a gym leader!”

It now hits you that all of your friends, except Scarlett, are gym leaders. It doesn’t matter much to you, but it’s still a little strange.

“Okay, okay!” He throws his hands into the air. “Just… tone it down, would you? Oh… and uh lo-... hey.”

“Hey…” Scarlett smiles at you weakly. You almost break down crying, because you just realized you really,  _ really  _ missed her, but you don’t cry because there’s six people staring at you. Seven if you include Mana.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it…?” Fuck, it sure has. God. 

“As soon as we knew what was happening, we came as fast as we could,” Emily winks at you playfully. “Connor was reluctant, but he remembers that big sister makes the decisions, not him.”

“I ended up convincing him. He listens to me more than his sister,” Scarlett butt in. You snort. You see Ava making a whipping motion towards Connor in the corner of your eye. 

“...Tch.”

“Hey… mate. Shit really hit the fan back there, huh?” Well… that’s certainly one way to describe that fiasco. “Rosetta and I…”

“We tried getting you back, but it was like you were completely cut off. My Gardevoir couldn’t do anything at all. I’m sorry that it came down to what it did,” Rosetta apologizes. 

“Soooo… will, uh, someone finally explain what’s going on? Preferably Rosetta, because I prefer her perfect and beautiful voice over Garret’s gruff huskiness.” You scoot away from Ava. Why did she have to say that, oh my God. You’re embarrassed on her behalf. 

“Whatever, mate,” Garret grumbles. You think you see Scarlett stifling a giggle, but you’re not sure. 

“A family feud between Shiv and his sister, Aurora, broke out in the streets yesterday. With all the experience I’ve had with those two in the past… I’m surprised it didn’t end worse. If they didn’t step in, more people could’ve been hurt.”

Ahah. Fuck, right, yesterday was a wild ride. You almost thought that was a dream, really.

“It was my responsibility to help… but once again, they proved that they’re the hero.” You feel a little proud. Just a little though, don’t want to end up like Connor, do you?

“Aurora, huh? Doesn’t ring any bells with me,” Ava murmurs thoughtfully. 

“Who are they, really? That Shiv guy always… piqued my interest.”

“Same here… something about Shiv was always… off.”

Well, Aurora did claim they were monsters, and Nova and along with several others, including Lilith of all people, did say that the siblings were not to be trusted.

“I would answer you if I knew, honestly… but all the research we’ve done, all the information we have… it doesn’t lead to anything concrete. We don’t know who or what they are… in fact, I don’t even think  _ they  _ know.”

“Hmph. It’s not really our problem right now though, is it?” Ava leans on the side of the couch, resting her chin in her palm. 

“That’s right. With Aurora out of the picture, the Foxes won’t hold back,” Rosetta hums thoughtfully.

“Yeah, and more work for me…” Garret groans. 

“The Foxes… Amelia… yeah, I know. But that’s for another time, isn’t it? I think it’s certainly time for a break.” Sounds wonderful, actually, since you rarely get them.

“You can say that again,” Connor huffs.

“I’m sure we can stay around for a little while. Right?” Emily asks you, leaning forward. Please stay, you mentally beg her. If you have to fight an evil organization one more time by yourself, you think you’ll use it. 

“I’ll be getting back to business, seeing that they’re apparently alright.” Oh, Garret  _ does  _ care! How sweet of him.

“Aww, Garret!” Emily coos. “Not even a little conversation?”

“You wish, bitch. I’m out.” The blonde places her hands over her chest, mocking offense. 

“It’s settled then, I’m gonna have a rest,” Ava sighs.

“Hmph. Same,” Connor mutters in agreement.

“I think it’s well deserved,” Scarlett agrees. 

——

You don’t think you’ve ever been this nervous in your life. Sure, you defeated plenty of strong opponents and have a pretty good winning streak for you, but something about the crowd cheering your name and the stage lights make your blood pressure spike. It makes you feel like you’re battling Connor for the first time again.

“Right now, ladies and gentlemen… is the grrraaand final of the Battleview Tournament! Trainers! You are allowed to use six pokemon in this fight! Items are permitted! Whoever knocks out the opponent’s pokemon first, wins! Prepare yourselves! Tonight you battle to determine who will hold the mantle of Battleview Champion!”

Applause. 

You try not to think about everything that's happening. You think about how far you’ve come, the people you met.

You wonder if they’re watching you now. 

“Oh. I shouldn’t be surprised that you’d meet me at the top here.” Rosetta’s voice snaps you back into reality. “Besides, it is after all what I planned. To fight you, one of the most… interesting individuals… under the grandest spotlight in Cellia. Dear, trainer, you have saved Blackview, you may have even saved my city. 

But here, within these walls, you and I are no more than trainers. And as it happens, trainers only meet for one reason. To satisfy their need to battle. To satisfy their need for a challenge. I challenge you, today. I challenge you to show me what spirit really is!”

You wonder how many eyes are on you right now. You can count a couple hundreds on what you see right now without having to glance around. You wonder how many people are watching at home, crowded around the television as the cheer for whomever they betted for.

You wonder how many bet for Rosetta. For you. 

And for the people that count on you, you can’t lose this, can you?

You think about your friends, once again. Ava, Scarlett, hell, even Connor. They helped you soothe your nerves and anxieties back at the whole Kuiki situation. Goodness, it’s been a while since then? To think you used to be a trainer with a lone pokeball in hand, determined to save the ones you love most… you’ve come so far since then. You wonder if they’re proud of you. You hope they are.

Aderyn and Tristan. You really owe Aderyn a lot. If Ava had died back there, well… you probably would have just left and gone home. In that case, what then? Does another hero rise from the shadows to take your place? And for Tristan— you don’t know what’s with him. He might be dead, he might not but… in the few moments you had together, you can say with confidence that he’s your friend. 

Emily, Rosetta, and very reluctantly, Garret. You don’t know them a whole lot but… you’d be sad to see them go. Emily’s so happy and bubbly, contrasting your world weariness and general solemn attitude. She brightens up every room she walks into. Rosetta has always been a star that you’ve idolized, and it’s very surreal to be standing on stage with her. She may not make the right decisions, but she cares so much for her city, her people. Garret you weren’t so fond of at first, but he definitely grew on you! He enables some of your more… bad behaviors, which you’ve never really gotten a chance to let out. You appreciate him all the same, though. 

“Your strength, it’s beautiful!”

Now that you’ve brushed with death a few traumatizing times, you’re grateful for all that’s happened to you, the good and the bad. Your journey is certainly not at the end yet, not even close, but you’re happy to just be here with everyone you love. You’ll count your lucky stars starting from here on, and cherish them with all you have.

“...Well then… I didn’t expect that,” Rosetta starts, almost stammering over her words. “You truly are something special. Here, as promised. The Fairy Tale Badge. And… well, here’s something else. I’m sure it’ll be useful to a trainer of your calibre. 

You’re one of the best trainers I’ve ever met. It’s shocking, really. I should’ve known since when I heard about Blackview… and after the Foxes… Aurora… Shiv… I should’ve known what you’d amount to. What you  _ WILL _ amount to. The League has someone to fear, that’s for sure.”

She pulls you in close to her, whispering in your ear. “I’ll meet you back at your manor. I’d like to discuss something.”

She smiles at you, and shakes your hand.

“The winner is…!”

You don’t let yourself cry until you go back into your personal room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuck. i thoight this was only gonna be 5k words but it ended up being 7k omg
> 
> have some nice ol character development! mc finally talks hehehehe
> 
> fun fact: nova and scarlett died my first playthrough! im playing along a new save file as i write and apparently if scarlett died she gets replaced w hardy?? thats cool
> 
> i really like garret. is it obvious i think it is


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> E5 SPOILERS PLEASE DONT READ IF YOU HAVENT PLAYED OR ELSE THIS MAKES NO SENSE

“...Don’t be a fool. You need to learn, and soon. Not all is what it se—”

The world begins to return to light, and the purple grass of the Dreamscape spins and twirls until it straightens. You trip over your feet and stumble through an arc of trees with the grace akin to that of a bug. You’re sure that you look like a fool, with what, your mouth hanging open and eyes wide open, but you don’t care. Your priorities lie somewhere else, after all. 

“I bet I’m the last person you thought you’d see today. It sure has been a while, hasn’t it?”

Light filters through the stormy grey clouds, shining upon a familiar figure, one that haunted your dreams throughout your stay at Cellia. A small part of your brain thinks this is some real movie shit, with the light framing him as some sort of holy man. 

“...It’s good to see you.”

Tristan smiles at you kindly, the corner of his eyes crinkling. You almost cry, but you manage to use what’s little of your composure to pull yourself together. Also, if you did cry, that’d be the second time you cried at the sight of him, and you don’t need him to think you’re a huge crybaby (although you are).

“I know… there's a lot to explain, isn’t there?”

Please explain. You need closure. And you also need to know if he’s not some fifty year old man with a really,  _ really  _ good skincare routine.

“What happened to me… where I went… everything that’s gone on since… boy oh boy… honestly, I don’t even know where to start. Come on, follow me.”

You trot after him like a lost puppy, and at this point, you are. You woke up in the middle of the woods after having some crazy dream where some detached voice that’s been tormenting you for the past month or two or  _ something _ called you a silly bitch. And Aurora, the lady you barely stopped from comitting first degree murder, told you that your whole life is a lie and  _ this  _ is reality.

“This little town is called Odis Village. Some folk in different cities call this the ‘Sleepy Village’, for obvious reasons. It’s here that people began to fall into a deep sleep, and forgot who they were. People would be cast off into another world… much like the one you were in. Some of these people woke up rather quickly… and others, like yourself, were less fortunate,” Tristan hums, “And and those that woke up… how can you move on with your life after something like that?

In reality… only a few hours had passed, but in their minds… in the dream… years… decades, even. Some people in this village lived completely new lives. Strange, isn’t it? That the trainer that perplexed me most in the dream would be one of the last to awaken.”

Hold on, wait. One, the… last? You’re pretty sure you aren’t because Blackview and Cellia have been bumbling with life. Two, ‘the trainer that perplexed me the most’, the hell? You almost have the nerve to ask him if he’s like… hitting on you or something, but he’s in mid-monologue and you don’t want to ruin whatever friendship you have, assuming you are friends. You consider him to be one but friendship's a mutual thing, you know.

“Of course… you might be wondering my whole role in this. Lopunny and I… we intentionally entered the dream with the goal of saving the people that live here. We wanted to bring this village home. But things went wrong. Like many others, Lopunny and I fell deep into the deep… we couldn’t remember ourselves… our reality… it was like hitting reset.”

Oh. That explains a lot, actually. I mean, you’re still a bit lost if Tristan’s fifty or nineteen or some ageless deity or whatever the fuck. He said earlier that a few hours passed in reality, when decades had passed in the dream— did that happen to him?

“But there was something about you. It made me remember. I needed to tell you what was happening, needed to wake you up… but just like that, I myself, woke up. And here we are.”

That’s kind of sweet, in a way. He cared about you enough to wake you up, or, at the very least,  _ tried  _ to wake you up. Or maybe he hates you but his task to wake everybody else is more important. He doesn’t seem like the kind of dude to just let someone rot in a false reality, but hey! You never know. 

“The dream still lurks… so it appears there’s lots of work to do. Is there anything you need?”

Ah. Right.

“Oh, Shiv? Yes, he and his sister… they live in their manor, just north of here! Yes… if Shiv is yet to wake, I’m not sure what could be going on. Usually, one experiences a moment of clarity, and then awakens.” You remember feeling something like that after Garret woke you up at like, 1 A.M and told you something about the twin’s powers, “Perhaps something in the dream preoccupies him? I don’t know… ask around the village, I’m sure someone can help you. And… I know this is all very surreal, so just bear with me, okay?”

——

“Damn Connor and his… oh!” Ava rams straight into you, and you almost fall onto your ass, but she grabs your arm in the nick of time. “Hey! You’re… awake?! Wow… I was starting to get really worried. Here I was thinking something was wrong with you… the last twelve hours have been so weird. Garret said you fell asleep pretty abruptly last night… and that he couldn’t rouse you at all.”

Oops. You suppose you did do something like that.

“I checked on you this morning after I woke up, and you were out cold! I figured you were just tired from spending the day with Rosetta, but damn. That being said… is everything okay with you? I know some weird stuff has been going on lately… is there anything you want to tell me?”

Well, there’s a lot you want to tell her, that she’s been living in a lie for nearly two decades and everything is not what it seems. And also Tristan’s not dead, so suck it.

“I need to find Shiv,” you say instead.

“Shiv? I mean… I don’t get it, but… yeah. No one’s seen Shiv or his sister since that big incident with Nova. It’s almost like they’ve disappeared.”

Yes, you know that. You’ve been told that like two times now.

“Look, I don’t get it, but I know this… if we keep on keeping on, we’re sure to run into him later. That’s how it’s always been… we always run into him when we least expect to. Oh well, it’s just good to have you back. In fact, you’re just on time.”

Ah. You can’t get a moment of peace, can you? Not even in the Dreamscape… for fuck’s sake, who named reality that, can you get a bit of rest. You’re always running around, stopping criminal scum… you don’t  _ hate  _ it, but you think you’re growing grey hair from all of this.

“We’re planning an attack on the Foxes in Cellia North, and it’d be good if you’re there to help us, champ.”

“What are you, my dad?” you almost ask, but don’t.

“It’s reached the point where we’ve just gotta fight back, and do the best we can. Obviously you can’t cop out of this one. In fact, we’ll probably be more outnumbered than Connor when we gang up on him. Trust me, it won’t be pretty. Anyway, get your behind downstairs pronto!”

Ava runs back downstairs, and you head into the bathroom to drown your face in water. It’s very refreshing. It’s very nice. You decide to treasure it when you can, because you’re probably going to be drenched in sweat in a few minutes from now.

“Oh! So you’ve decided to join us, then?” Rosetta greets you at the bottom of the staircase. “You’re just on time, I’d say. I’m glad you actually woke up. Garret said you were out cold, which is unsurprising. He does have a knack of putting everyone to sleep every time he opens his mouth.” 

You giggle at that, and the woman seems to brighten a little at the sound of that.

“Here I thought the two of you would actually get along for this trip…” Ava sighs for show, because obviously she’s not going to oppose Rosetta. And also Ava doesn’t like Garret, probably. Maybe because he enables your bad behavior, because you’re pretty sure she knows you’ve been fighting in underground illegal fight clubs. 

“I said we’d work together, but I didn’t say we’d work well.”

“Well, beggars can’t be choosers, I guess,” Ava shrugs.

“Don’t do that to yourself, sweetie. The only beggar here is Garret.” You and Ava share a laugh. “Anyway, I digress! We do have a mission, and we’d best not dawdle. After all, Garret and Aaron are already in Cellia North. We’d best not keep them waiting. The Foxes… once the twins went missing, that truce was over in a second. 

They decided to get to work right away… and boy did they cause some damage. I’ll get you up to speed. We’re searching for the Black Fox base in Cellia North. Lilith is in there somewhere… we just need to find her, and end this nonsense. I imagine things won’t go that simply, but it’s about time that we cut into the heart of this mess. I will pair up with Ava—”

“YES!” You decide that you no longer know Ava, and you bury your (now) red face in your sweater.

“...and you will pair up with Aaron, assuming that Garret wants to be antisocial. There will be a lot of Foxes… but for someone of your calibre, you shouldn’t run into any hiccups. We’ll talk more later… about everything.”

“Aaron is a cool dude.” Ava pats your back encouragingly. “You’ll be safe with him. Lilith… we’ve got to find her, and get some answers. We’ll meet you in Cellia North, then.”

You recognize the name, actually. If it’s the same dude from the tournament, then yeah. He was Rosetta’s first opponent, and lost against her, despite specializing in steel-tyes. And if Scarlett’s and Emily’s gossiping meant anything, he has a crush on Rosetta and lost on purpose.

“...And don’t take too long. We’re already running late. I’d hate to think that poor old Garret is struggling by himself out there.”

“I mean, obviously I think you’re right all the time,” You are looking away, “but… Rose… isn’t this your city too?”

“Right, sorry. Of course it is… I only try to make light of situations where I feel uneasy, I guess. And something about Lilith… I don’t know… for now, we’ll do everything we can. Let’s get moving.” Rosetta and Ava leave, and you’re left to slump on the couch and mentally prepare yourself.

——

“Tch, come on! It’s over, gym leader! Cellia North is ours! This time, you’ll actually learn to keep your nose to yourself!” A Black Fox barks as you stumble onto the scene.

“Garret, now is the time that assistance would be most appropriate.”

“I actually think you’re doing just fine, mate. ‘Sides, you’ve gotta put on a show for us every once and awhile. Can’t bum around all day, otherwise people will forget you’re a gym leader.”

“ _ Forty cents now _ ,” you think to yourself. Fourth time you battled Black Foxes while the city burns down around you, woo! Actually, third. The whole twins situation doesn't count. Garret turns around to see you standing there like a dope.

“Oh, mate! Damn! I knew you’d miss me too much to stay away. Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Get out here! Welcome to the show!” He grandly gestures to the chaos happening. “Damn, where are my manners?!”

“You’ve never had any manners.” You laugh at that, despite the situation.

“This cold hearted soul is Aaron, gym leader of this dreary little neighborhood.”

“You know, it’d be less dreary if you and your little brigade came to help a few weeks earlier…” Goddamn, a few weeks? How long have they been going at it?

“He also manages the construction in Cellia, as you can see, is a greatly thriving business! And Aaron, this is—” You duck to narrowly avoid a stray rock coming your way. “They’re a good mate of mine. Much nicer than you, that’s for sure.”

“Are you even listening to us?! Let’s battle already! You waste of time, old—”

“Old? Really? Is the grey hair really that—”

“Yeah, mate. Look in a damn mirror. Just ‘cos you have steel-types doesn’t mean you have to look like a grandad.” Oh, so it is the same Aaron from the tournament. Good to know. For blackmail reasons, mainly. 

“Garret, I’ll deal with you later. As for the two of you…”

“About time, get on with it. I swear, this dude doesn’t shut up. You’ll get sick of him faster than me, that’s for sure.” You doubt that, but okay.

“Empoleon, Aggron… make this quick, would you.” The two pokemon let out war cries, before ramming the opposing Vileplume and Gigalith.

“Arrgh!”

“No! Argh!”

“Well, then. That was all completely unnecessary,” Aaron huffs irritably. “Now, listen closely. You have about five seconds to get  _ out  _ of my district. Understood? I’d make it quick.”

“Tch! Damn it! Not again! We’ll be back for you! I swear it!” The two grunts retrieve their fainted pokemon, before running off, tails inbetween their legs.

“Ideally, I would’ve liked to give you a better first impression,” the man turns to face you. “But fortunately, that’s often how things go. My name is Aaron, I’m the gym leader of this district.”

“Calling it a district at this point is a bit of a reach, mate. You looked around at all?” Garret snarks, and you think you three shouldn’t be standing here, conversing, because you’re going to die in this heat.

“The situation is far less than ideal. I understand that containment of the Foxes was your number one priority in Central… but I could’ve used your help earlier, all of you.” You hold up your hands. In your defense, you couldn’t be let in until you got permission to from Rosetta. Garret probably would of let you in, but no one listens to Garret.

“No need to get your knickers in a twist, mate. We’re here now, so let’s get down to business.”

“That’s easy for you to say. But for now, you’re actually right. We need to cut into the heart of this mess, and get rid of these Foxes for good. It started with Lilith, and I imagine it will end with her.”

Lilith… huh. You can’t imagine facing against her. Your first and only interaction is her asking for a truce, but in that time, you’ve never felt so intimidating in your life. She had… a certain air surrounding her, the way she looks at you made you uncomfortable.

“There’s no time to waste, right? ‘Sides, I don’t want Rosetta getting too far ahead.”

“I wouldn’t say that our priorities completely align right now… but I’m thankful for your help. Let’s get moving.”

“Damn straight. Come on, then. Don’t slow us down too much, ‘aight? I ain’t gonna babysit you.”

You groan, and Garret lightly (it actually hurts, but you’re just weak) jabs at your ribs as he passes you. Time to get moving. Fuck.

——

“Apparently… this attack was led by the one they call ‘Hardy’.” You almost drop your pokeball in surprise and end up fumbling to catch it. Luckily, it’s empty and your partner is running beside you, but still.

“Oh? Friend of yours?” Aaron rhetorically asks at your reaction. “Nevertheless, we’ve got to move. I’m sure Garret needs our help. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

You close your eyes and prepare yourself for the incoming future, because you know  _ exactly  _ where this is heading.

“Finally, this district can get a fresh start. It took long enough. Oh, sorry, don’t mind me.” He sighs. You feel like everyone’s been sighing an awful lot. It’s justified. “It’s just been a long time coming… all of this. I’m just looking forward to kickstarting Cellia North. It never quite got finished, after all.”

Three grunts approach you, and you think you hear Aaron curse under his breath.

“Of course… we’re never quite out of the woods, are we?”

“Well, well… you’re no cop.” One of them raises an eyebrow, and Aaron reaches for one of his pokeballs.

“But he’s certainly no basic trainer. Hey, old dude!” Another taunts. “I bet you think this whole thing is over, don’t ya? I think you’ll find that you’re wrong on that one.”

“Old? Again?” You almost smile in amusement. Almost. “This is getting ridiculous… damn it. Empoleon, come on out! I’ll deal with these thugs. You’ve got to keep moving. Find the gym leaders, tell them about the hideout, the grid… everything.”

His Empoleon breaks a few wooden creates beside you, opening a path.

“Good luck. I shouldn’t have any trouble here.” You nod and continue on, ignoring the sounds of fighting and shouting behind you. You huff, and it’s getting a bit harder to breathe, because you may or may not have spaced out and started inhaling some smoke.

“...Damn. It sure has been a while, hasn’t it?” 

You’re hardly surprised. In fact, you knew this was coming.

Hardy emerges from the crackling flames, donning a new look. You remember him wearing a fox mask when you and Garret’s gang were invading the base in the Undercity, but he’s in the full outfit now.

“That incident in the Fox den… it was a shame. I really wish we didn’t have to meet under those circumstances… my team and I… we weren’t sure of ourselves back then. But all of that’s over now, isn’t it?” He looks up, wistfully gazing at the yellow tinted sky. “Look. Back in that den, things were different. But now, I know exactly what I need to do. I know that just becoming stronger won’t help me achieve my goals. I’m not that stupid… not anymore.”

“Damn it, I just wish things turned out better for the both of us,” he hisses. “I wish that we didn’t have to go through this… but I guess it’s just how it has to be. You’ve… been into the lab, haven’t you? Then you must have seen her pokeball, after all… hmph. I guess the lady was right. Not that it matters, I guess. A mission is a mission… for now. 

Listen. This whole situation is shit, for the both of us. If I had my way, things would be different… one day, eventually, I hope we could run into each other on better terms. That we could actually have a battle for the sake of training, and nothing more… but… shit.” 

You share the same sentiment, actually. Now that you have… a semi-clear head and not like, declaring revenge for the elder that died back then, you feel a lot calmer. You want to punch him, but not with the intent to break his jaw, to phrase it.

“For now, there’s not much that can be said, is there? I’m sure of what I need to do… I just hope that in the end, it’s enough. Let’s see what you’re made of.”

You really wish you didn’t have to fight him. You really wish that he wasn’t donning the uniform. You really wish you weren’t fighting on opposing sides, your past days nothing but a distant dream, a memory filled with melancholy to reminisce on.

It’s been a while since you two first met. You’d love to go back to those days, where you and your friends could laugh easily and battling didn’t feel like a chore. Well, you did just recently did a prisonbreak, but, the thought is still there.

“One day… I guess some things won’t change so easily, huh? But this just proves my point— becoming stronger won’t be enough. No… I need more. Her Umbreon… the Perfection Project… look at me, rambling off.”

It’s very upsetting for you to listen to him talk. You don’t know his motivations for joining, because if it’s just that he wanted to be strong enough to be the champion, you’re going to be real pissed, but hearing him babble on about Perfection…

“Listen up. I thought I could stop you, and save you from what’s coming. But damn, I guess I couldn’t. It looks like Lilith had less faith in me than I had in myself. Anyways. The pokeball you found in the lab— that was intentional. 

Whatever it did to you… whatever happened… Lilith counted on it. There’s more to this whole thing, ‘aight? We’ll be in touch. Damn… that first battle, back on Route 1… it all seems like it was years ago. It was just me… and Zorua. Zoroark… damn it.”

...fills you with an uncomfortable dread.

“I’ll be seeing you. Until then, I don’t know… good luck, I guess.”

You close your eyes, and Aurora’s voice fills your thoughts.

——

“You’re late.”

Should of specificed a time, then, old man.

“Took the extra time to prepare? Welcome to Cellia North Gym. I’m not one to be all flashy, but Rosetta and Emily insisted. So this is it, I guess. It’s a shame I didn’t get to know you personally. I suppose it was a strange way to meet, after all. Yet… I suspect we’ll be spending much more time together in the future— whether you like it or not.”

Well, luckily for you, Aaron is much more pleasant than the majority of the people that you've associated with (Connor, Nova, Baron, Aurora… Garret… the list goes on) and he only seems to be rude when provoked, and you’re way too polite to your seniors, and you’re a people pleaser. Except for Garret, because he’s the reason why you’d normally have a criminal record, if it weren’t for the fact Rosetta has your back. And also Baron, because Baron can suck your dick and fall off a cliff. 

You’d normally be a lot more tranquil about him, but at the very least the others were nice to you. Well, Connor’s a bit of a dickhead, but you know he’s soft on the inside. Baron’s not. He’s very sharp and pointy and hard.

Fuck Baron, all my homies hate Baron.

“The Foxes, Lilith… this story certainly has a few more chapters remaining. Let’s consider this a fresh start to our acquaintance, shall we?” He spreads his arms, grandly introducing himself. “My name is Aaron. I am the gym leader of Cellia North, and the Director of City Planning. The future of this city… of this whole island, it ultimately lies in my hands. When you’re ready, take your place.”

You pat your pockets, checking for your items. Your pokeballs? Yep. Your evergrowing amount of potions that you refuse to use because “what if I need them later” but you can easily afford them because you’re a regular trainer in the illegal underground fight clubs? Yep!

“I suppose you’re ready then? I gave you my best, boisterous gym leader impression. It’s a lost art, truly. I suppose the only other thing I’m missing is a type-specific pun, yes? Hmm…

…

……

A-hah! The Foxes that we fought together… you’ve shown me the extent of your raw strength. But when it comes to true battling… strength alone won’t be enough. To truly make it, you’ll need what I have! Wits of steel!”

You just smile politely.

“...Hm. Maybe Ava has a point. Let’s just get on with it. Come on. Show me what you’ve got.”

You feel drained. Well, you’ve been feeling drained ever since you graduated highschool, but that’s not important. The only thing that’s keeping you on your feet at this point is the fact that you’re fighting for your friends. Them dying during a fight while you’re kicking it back is kind of a fear you’ve pushed away in the corner of your mind, but it certainly still lurks. Even if they died out there… you’d rather have to deal with the bitter truth that there’s nothing you could of done than deal with the overwhelming fact that you could’ve done  _ something _ to help them.

You’re scared. You’re scared that one day someone will come knocking at your door and deliver the unfortunate news that someone you love died. It must be terrifying to die all alone, or at the hands of a sneering face. There’s nothing you can do, but solemnly close your eyes and let the moment pass, til you fade into eternity, because it sure doesn’t seem like when people die they wake up. And… you want to be there, if that ever happens. It’s a bitter, dark thought, but it’s the reality you unfortunately face. 

So you’ll fight, because, as cheesy as it sounds, you want to protect the ones you love. You’ll fight for the past, the happy memories that you cherish close to your heart. And for the future, the dream of being able to finally relax and smile without a care in the world. You’ll fight for everyone, until they’ve all woken up. It’s what Scarlett almost died for, after all. You have a lot of self loathing, but not you’re not stupid enough to keep thinking that you’re just a normal trainer. You know that you’re stellar, above the rest. 

“You’re tough, I’ll give you that.”

And you’ll use that strength, that extraordinary power to it’s fullest. With your friends, human and pokemon alike. You’ll fight so others don’t have to, so they can have a moment of peace and happiness, despite how dreary this world can be. It’s a tough job, and you don’t get paid for it, but it’s rewarding in it’s own way.

“...Well, well,” Aaron says, after a moment of silence after his Aggron goes down. “You truly are something, hmm? Your talents will come in handy, with the hardship to come. Thank you, truly. It’s not very often that a trainer can reignite my love for battling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lotsa ava physically but scarlett in the head ❤️❤️❤️ you can tell whos my favorite ahaha. i really wished i wrote her tournament fight last chapter but i was in so much pain writing rosettas part so. i genuinely teared up!!! she seemed so happy to be able to fight you omg. honestly i dont like the peppy type of girls but she.... is an exception.... a very GOOD!!!! daughter who just wants the best for everyone. also i love tristan a lot too and i think you can see that with the scenes hes in NABDHDHRHRJEHFKRRJ
> 
> i decided to spilt this episode in two because if i had a repeat of what happened last chapter id fucking die! and my brain refuses to take a break until i finish the whole chapter so!
> 
> i struggled so hard on the aaron fight idk why everyone said his gym was easy 💔 his aggron fucking obliterated me but i managed. i think hes very charming so it could of been worse
> 
> speaking of aaron im torn between "HAHAHAHA BOOMER" and "NOOOO HES NOT OLD"
> 
> BEATS RHE SHIT OUT OF HARDY. WHAT ARE YOU DOINF PLEASE DO NOT BREAK MY HEART LIKE THIS!! I LOVE YOU STOP THIS
> 
> id like to say ive havent proofread my fics in like two years so im sorry for grammar errors but also not because i dont care its fanfiction not a novel NSBDDHHRHRFH
> 
> idk how the gym leader monologues happened but they happened and theyre so fun to write and i love dissecting the mc and the pure bullshit theyve gone thru.... mwuah
> 
> ALSO i am trying to hard to keep mc howveer the reader imagines it so no pronouns or names BUT GARRET IS MAKING MY LIFE HARD.
> 
> garret: aaron this is [player]  
> me:


End file.
